Category Archives: Grilling

Little Deschutes River

The campground here at Sun River Thousand Trails is carved out of a pine forest. The tall trees are preventing me from acquiring a Dish network satellite signal. We don’t watch many TV shows, but I like to watch racing – especially Moto GP and Formula One.

On Sunday morning there was a Moto GP race at the Catalunya track in Barcelona, Spain. I looked at our data usage and it appeared that we were on pace to end our data cycle with a couple of gigabytes to spare. So, I found the race in a 1.6GB file and downloaded it to watch later.

Donna and I walked down to the pickleball courts and found friends we’d met the night before, Lance and Bonnie. We warmed up a bit, then joined them for a doubles game. I haven’t played in weeks and Donna’s been off the court even longer. I expected to be a little rusty but I didn’t think I would play as poorly as I did. I’ll need to stay on it while we’re here! Later, Julie and TJ joined us on the courts. They were all playing at a higher level than we were.

The heat wave in the west continues and we expected the high temperature to reach the 90s – it topped out at 94 degrees yesterday. After lunch we loaded our Sea Eagle kayak in TJ’s truck and rode with TJ and Julie to the east end of the campground where the Little Deschutes River runs past it. On the way there, we spotted a young buck and a couple of does in the campground.

Deer in the campground

The Little Deschutes River runs north and empties into the Deschutes River. We found the rest of the group from the night before there – they had air mattresses and inner tubes and were floating down the river.

Donna and I inflated and assembled the kayak and entered the river. We floated downstream past the area where TJ, Julie, Lance, Bonnie, Mike and all the kids were hanging out.

Little Deschutes River

Then we turned around and paddled our way upstream to our entry point and pulled out. It was a good workout coming back upstream.

Paddling upstream

After packing up the kayak and putting it in TJ’s truck, I walked back home while Donna floated on her back down the river and then hung out with the group. I wanted to get out of the heat and watch the Moto GP race I’d downloaded. It turned out to be a very good race.

Last night I grilled green chile turkey burgers on the Weber Q. I paired the burger with an unusual IPA – Hopocalypse Double IPA from Drake’s Brewing. It was brewed with blood oranges and was very tasty.

Hopocalypse Blood Orange Double IPA

This morning we walked over to have coffee with Lance, Bonnie and Julie. We sat at Mike and Michelle’s site and talked. Mike was on a call and I think TJ was sleeping in. After my cup of coffee, I left the group to write this post.

Today will be another hot one with temperatures in the 90s. Tommorow is supposed to be warm also, then we’ll have a cooling trend with the highs in the 60s by the weekend.

*Just so you know, if you follow one of my links to Amazon and decide to make a purchase, you pay the same price as usual and I’ll earn a few pennies for the referral. It’ll go into the beer fund. Thanks!

Black Butte Lake

Donna and I took a ride on the Spyder yesterday after Donna’s morning workout. We wanted to take a look at the Black Butte Recreation Area and the campground at the Buckhorn Recreation Area (map). The recreation areas surround Black Butte Lake – located about nine miles west of Orland, about 20 miles away from our location.

We rode south on I-5 to the Orland exit and followed Newville Road west to the lake. Black Butte Lake is a reservoir created when a dam was built on Stony Creek by the Army Corp of Engineers (COE) in 1963. The purpose of the dam was to control flooding and provide irrigation through a series of canals.

Newville Road was smooth with good pavement through Glenn County. When we hit the Tehama County line about a mile outside of the recreation area, the surface deteriorated, but was still in reasonable shape. I wouldn’t have any problem driving a big rig to this area.

We pulled off at a section called Eagle Pass Recreation Area. This area had a boat ramp with a large paved parking lot and a paved road to a picnic area.

View from the boat ramp parking area

We rode over to the picnic area where a couple of families had claimed tables. There were a few boats on the water including couple of kayakers.

Covered picnic tables by the lake

They have a sign saying a day use fee of five dollars per vehicle is required and there’s a honor system kiosk by the picnic parking area.

Lake view from the picnic area

We left the picnic area and followed the COE signs to a scenic overlook by the dam.

View from scenic overlook by the dam

The lake is large and from the Eagle Pass Recreation Area you only see small portion of it. We rode back to Newville Road and followed it north, then west around the northeastern end of the lake. The lake is about 7 miles long with 40 miles of shoreline. The surface area is approximately 4,400 acres.

We pulled into the Buckhorn Recreation Area. This is a COE campground with 93 total sites including a group area and five walk-in tent sites. They have a day use fee of five dollars and dry camp sites are $20/night. There’s an attendant at the entrance. We asked the attendant if we could ride in to look at the sites and he waved us through.

The first campground area wasn’t much more than a paved parking lot lined out with long parking spots that are RV sites. None of the sites appeared to be level. We rode further into the campground and found a couple of loops with campsites.

The next loop we came to was called 23-6. This had a variety of sites ranging from 35 to 100 feet long. Again most of the sites weren’t level, but it was much better than the first area. Then we went to loop 1-22 which is on high ground above a boat ramp. Again, we found a variety of sites ranging from 28 feet to 90 feet long. If I were to come here I would look for a site in this loop. They take reservations and their web site contains information on the size of each site. The only thing that would concern me is some overhanging trees in a few sites. I wouldn’t want hit a low tree branch and break an air conditioner housing – or worse.

After looking around, we rode out and headed back. This time we turned north on Black Butte Road – which Google maps calls Tapscott Road. We’ve found name discrepancies on a few of the roads around here. The road surface is uneven with dips and cambers. It also has a few narrow twists to it. I wouldn’t want to get to the campground in a big rig on this road – Newville Road is the preferred route.

A few miles up Black Butte Road we saw a herd of buffalo. There was a sign that said it was federal bison reserve land. There was also a sign over a gate that identified a privately owned ranch. I tried to find more information online, but didn’t come up with much.

Federal bison reserve

Lots of bison

Another sign by the ranch gate said 1/4 or 1/2 sides of bison were offered for sale.

We continued up Black Butte Road to Corning Road and followed it east into town. We made a stop at Safeway for a few groceries. We picked up a whole chicken and also baby back ribs which were on sale at $2.99/lb. We decided to have the ribs for our Memorial Day dinner.

When we got home I used a different dry rub on the ribs. It’s a highly rated rub called Pappy’s Choice Seasoning. After seasoning the rack of ribs, I wrapped them and put them in the refrigerator. I broke out the Traeger wood pellet fired grill from the trailer and set it up. I haven’t used the Traeger for a few weeks and it was time to Traegerize a rack of ribs.

We also bought fresh corn on the cob. I soaked the corn in the husks for about 20 minutes. After removing the corn silk, I put them directly on the Weber Q grill still in the husk. I like to cook corn on the cob this way. The wet husks steam the corn while it roasts.

Meanwhile Donna made a red potato salad. The corn took about 20 minutes of grill time and I timed it to be ready when the ribs were done.

Baby back ribs dry rubbed Memphis-style

A great Memorial Day dinner plate

The Pappy’s Choice Seasoning had good flavor but it was a little on the salty side. Next time I’ll use less of it to cut down on the salt. Lucky for me, I had a bottle of ale to wash it down.

Double Down Imperial Red Ale

It was another beer from Wildcard Brewing in Redding, California. This one was an Imperial red ale called Double Down. Anytime you see the term Imperial on a beer label, you can bet it’s a strong beer. Double Down is no exception – it had 7.5% ABV.

The thermometer reached the upper 90s yesterday. Today is forecast to be even warmer with a high of 103 degrees! We’ll be heading over to Chico this afternoon for a tour of Sierra Nevada Brewing.

Another Chico Farmers’ Market

Saturday we were out and about on the Spyder again. We rode to Chico in the morning for the farmers’ market. The Saturday farmers’ market is held in downtown Chico at the municipal parking lot located at 2nd and Wall Streets. This is the old downtown district a few blocks away from the California State University, Chico campus – also known as Chico State.

Chico has a population of close to 90,000 people. The local economy is driven by Chico State and the many retail establishments. It’s a popular shopping destination for many of the residents in the small towns of the northern Sacramento Valley.

The Saturday farmers’ market is much larger than the one we went to on Wednesday. It has more than 100 vendor booths. Once again we found an abundance of locally grown produce with prices that can’t be beat.

Huge broccoli heads

We saw the lady from Guzzetti’s Catering and Indian Food. We bought garden bread and dipping sauce from her at the Wednesday market and couldn’t resist buying more. The bread is soft but dense and no thicker than a flour tortilla with a thin layer of filling inside. The sauces are incredibly flavorful.

We ended up with quite a haul. I had packed a small cooler with ice packs to keep the produce fresh in the Spyder trunk. We had lunch at the market – huge burritos filled with pork chili verde, rice and beans. Neither of us could eat the whole thing, so we packed the leftovers home with us.

I took a different route home – we blasted up US99 to South Avenue. I soon regretted the choice. We were riding into a stiff headwind – about 20 mph sustained wind with higher gusts. As we cruised at 65 mph, the gusts would buffet my helmet, snapping my neck back and forth. I didn’t enjoy that 20-mile stretch.

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. The lunch was so filling that we just had appetizer snacks for happy hour and called it dinner. I opened a bottle of beer from The Bruery called Humulus Terreux. It’s a hoppy, slightly sour concoction. The Bruery comes out with some beers that are really out there and this is one of them. I enjoyed it though.

Hoppy, funky and a little bit sour

I had a message from RVillage – a couple had pulled into the park two sites away from us and were members of RVillage. Their names were Mike and Donna! We chatted with them for a while and I learned that Donna has a group on RVillage that’s for Elks members. The group shares information about Elks lodges that can accommodate RVs. I joined the group – it looks like it’ll be a great resource.

On Sunday morning, Donna went for a bike ride on the quiet farm roads around here. The wind was calm for a change, making it a good time for a ride. I watched the Formula One race at Monaco. Memorial Day weekend is a big weekend for race fans. The Indianapolis 500, the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 and the Monaco Grand Prix all happened on Sunday. For me, the Monaco Grand Prix was the race to watch.

We stayed home and had a relaxing day. I cleaned the Spyder – that was about as ambitious as I got all day. The temperature reached the 90s. With the wind calm, I had the awning out and sat underneath reading a book.

I broke out the Weber Q. This gave me the opportunity to try another product the people at Weber gave me at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas. It’s called Citrusafe BBQ Grill Cleaner. It’s a non-toxic citrus-based cleaner that cuts grease and is easy to use.

Citrusafe BBQ grill cleaner

Donna marinated a pork tenderloin with her mojo marinade. I grilled it and it was tasty!

Grilled mojo marinade pork tenderloin

Donna served it with sweet potato hash – a perfect side dish complementing the pork. I paired it with a more traditional west coast IPA from Wildcard Brewing in Redding, California.

Mojo marinade pork tenderloin with XXX hash

Mojo marinade pork tenderloin with sweet potato hash

West coast IPA

Today I’ll take time to remember those who’ve fallen while serving their country. I’m also thinking about those who’ll continue to risk their lives while protecting our nation from acts of terror.

We’re heading for a hot spell here. The predicted high for today will be 99 degrees. It’s supposed to exceed 100 degrees in the next few days. Tomorrow we’ll go back to Chico to tour the Sierra Nevada Brewery. We’ll pull out of here on Thursday.

Window Shopping on the Strip

Donna and I decided to go for a walk on “The Strip” Sunday morning. I studied a map of the area, looking for suitable parking. If you’ve ever driven on the strip, you know what a maddening experience it can be. Traffic moves at a crawl, if it moves at all. Stoplights are long and a steady stream of pedestrians make turning in or out of a side street or driveway an exercise of patience.

We rode the Spyder about six miles to the parking garage at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino, next to Cromwell’s on Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard – about a block east of Las Vegas Boulevard. Almost all of the hotels and casinos on the strip have free parking structures. We left the Spyder on the third floor of their guest garage.

We walked past the Cromwell Resort and Casino – where Giada De Laurentis has her restaurant and climbed the stairs to the pedestrian overpass to Caesar’s Palace. The escalators weren’t working – we ended up doing a lot of stair climbing. We wandered through the shops at Caesar’s – I had to stop and look at each of the watch shops. I have a fascination with high-end mechanical watches. We stopped at Blancpain, then Officini Panerai, Breguet and Rolex. Most of the watches I looked at were in the $10,000 to $50,000 range. Of course I was only window shopping.

We also looked at a few menus at the restaurants we passed. Around 11:30am we decided to try the brunch at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant. The restaurant was empty with only one person seated at the bar. Donna had a Bloody Mary as we made our selection. Donna went for an egg white frittata with fingerling potatoes and I had the carnitas hash skillet.

Egg white frittata

Carnitas hash skillet

As expected in a Wolfgang Puck restaurant, the food was delicious with a fusion of unexpected flavors. The service was excellent. By the time we were served, the restaurant had completely filled.

After our meal, we climbed up and over another overpass to the Bellagio. There are a number of high-end shops in the Bellagio rivaling Ceasar’s Palace. We went outside to see the water show at the Fountains of Bellagio. They have a large array of water jets that shoot water high into the air. Some of the jets move, spraying the water in arcs and swirls. Speakers are located every 20 feet or so around the large pond with the fountains. Music can be heard all around the pond and the water display is timed to the music.

Us at the Fountains of Ballagio - Eiffel Tower reaturant in the background

Us at the Fountains of Bellagio – Eiffel Tower Resturant in the background

We walked south on Las Vegas Boulevard and then crossed over to the east side of the street. We made our way past the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino and the Miracle Mile shops. We did a little more window shopping and stood under the Eiffel Tower. Then we continued on to the Grand Bazaar shops and back over another pedestrian overpass.

By then we had enough of the window shopping and people watching – and it was getting warm out. We found our parking garage and headed east, away from the strip on the Spyder. We made a stop for groceries at Smith’s then came home. I had motorcycle races to watch.

Last evening, Donna prepared chicken satay and I grilled the skewers on the Weber Q. She served it with baby bok choy sauteed with garlic and shirataki noodles with peanut sauce. Two very tasty meals in one day!

Chicken satay with peanut sauce

The threat of rain seems to have passed. Today I’ll get the ladder out of the trailer and start cleaning the coach. I was hoping to have it washed by a mobile service here in Las Vegas, but the Thousand Trails Las Vegas RV Resort has us packed in so tightly I don’t think it’s feasible.

The forecast calls for a high in the upper 70s today with a warming trend through the week. We plan to leave here on Thursday and head north.

Free Beer

In my last post, I showed the catch basin I made to contain any fluid that might leak from the HWH hydraulic synch cylinder. No fluid has leaked since I had a drop of fluid last weekend. I’m thinking now that the drop of fluid I saw running down the threads on the U-bolt holding the synch cylinder may have been residual oil from the original leak. Perhaps a small amount of fluid remained on the horizontal steel mounting tab for the cylinder. When I fiddled around with the jacks, this residual fluid may have run off the tab and down the U-bolt threads.

On Wednesday, my lifelong friend Jim Birditt rang me up. He was headed to the Wild Horse Pass Casino (map). He’s a truck driver hauling household goods for North American Van Lines. He planned to stop overnight and park his Peterbilt truck in the casino truck/RV lot. I rode the Spyder there in the afternoon to meet up with him. We had a cold one and caught up a bit. I’ve known Jim since I was in the 8th grade. We spent a lot of time hunting together in the 90s.

We talked about the mysterious hydraulic oil leak. We came up with a theory. The synch cylinder has two pistons inside that move when fluid pressure is applied to one side or the other. There’s a shaft that moves with the pistons. This shaft extends out of one end of the cylinder. The shaft has a seal. Maybe at some point, after we set up here at Towerpoint RV Resort, the shaft seal leaked some fluid. Maybe the seal rolled or something was caught in the seal allowing fluid to seep past. If some foreign matter was in the seal, it may have washed out with the leaking fluid and the seal re-seated itself. It’s just a theory, but I can’t come up with any other explanation for why the cylinder would leak fluid one day, then stop leaking. The hydraulic system works fine, I’ve moved the living room slide to apply pressure in the cylinder and there’s no leakage now. I’ll keep the catch basin in place for a while just in case it leaks again.

Jim was planning to head to Tucumcari, New Mexico the next morning. I showed him an alternate route. He’s been driving trucks all his adult life and knows just about every route in the country. But he never went up the Beeline Highway (AZ87) through Payson, Arizona to get to I-40 east. He usually goes up I-17 to I-40. He tried my suggestion on Thursday morning and phoned me later to tell me the route worked out great. He picked up I-40 at Holbrook.

On Thursday evening, Donna and I prepared a whole chicken. I used my favorite chicken rub – Lambert’s Sweet Rub O’Mine – and cooked it on the Traeger wood pellet fired grill.

Traeger wood pellet fired grill

I cooked the chicken for about 80 minutes and used a quick reading meat thermometer to check for proper internal temperature. I shoot for about 170 degrees in the breast and over 180 in the thigh. Cooked on the Traeger, the chicken remains moist while fully cooked at these temperatures.

Whole roasted chicken with Sweet Rub O’Mine

Donna served it with steamed broccoli and wild rice cranberry salad. A delicious meal!

Roasted chicken quarter with broccoli and wild rice cranberry salad

On Friday morning, we played pickleball. The courts aren’t filled with players and people waiting for games anymore. Things have really thinned out here as most of the snowbirds have headed for home.

We went to Tia Rosa’s Tacqueria to meet up with David and Karin Von Kay for lunch. We first met David and Karin in Des Moines, Iowa last year. They were in the site next to us at the fairgrounds where David was showing his 1966 Chevelle in the Good Guys car show. Donna and Karin have stayed in touch and frequently trade recipes. It’s so much fun to meet new people on the road and hook up again at another place later.

Things are winding down for us here at Towerpoint. Our initial two-month stay officially ended Friday. I settled up our electric bill, then extended our stay another six nights – we’ll leave Mesa on Thursday the 21st. I have a few things to get done before we go. At first we thought we’d stay an extra five days and leave on Wednesday. I have the initiation to the Elks on Tuesday night, so I thought an extra day would be good.

On Friday evening, Towerpoint had their final end-of-season party. Free beer, chips and salsa and pretzels. Hard to beat free. Donna and I wandered around the pool area where the party was in progress and visited with a few people we know from the pickleball courts. We were happy to see Howard and Nancy there – they’re the friends that had a horrible traffic accident with their motorhome resulting in severe injuries to Howard and his mother-in-law. Howard’s a trouper and seemed to be doing better than expected. They plan to stay here for a few months while Howard and Nancy’s mom recuperate.

The party included live music – something Donna and I always enjoy. The band was good in spite of the fact they used a synthetic drum track – I always prefer a full group of musicians – even drummers.

Good music – we love live bands

Donna brought a hoop and did some hoop dancing. The band really appreciated her efforts as it encouraged dancing and attention to the music.

Donna hoop dancing

Oh yeah

It was extremely windy making the hooping difficult for her – but it was impressive nonetheless.

From here our plan is to head up to Cottonwood for four nights. This will give us a chance to make day trips to Jerome and Sedona – plus I can catch the Moto GP race a week from Sunday. We’re not sure where we’re going from there.

Synchronizing Cylinder

On Sunday evening, Donna prepared a new recipe called sweet and spicy salmon. My oldest daughter Alana shared the recipe on Facebook and Donna wanted to try it. She bought frozen wild Alaskan sockeye salmon steaks from Costco. She placed each piece of fish on a square of foil and poured coconut oil over the salmon. Then she drizzled the fillets with honey and dusted them with a mixture of cumin, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Then she sealed the foil over the salmon and I cooked it on the Weber Q grill.

Sockeye salmon fillets wrapped in foil

I slightly overcooked the salmon – I wish I would have taken it off the grill sooner. The thing is, the salmon keeps cooking in the foil – it has to be opened up quickly once the fish is off the grill. Steam rose from the foil packets when I opened them.

Sweet and spicy salmon hot off the grill

The fish was tasty though. We’ll make it again – next time Donna says she would add just a little more honey and maybe put veggies in the packet with the salmon. I’ll take it off the grill sooner and open the packets quickly.

Sweet and spicy salmon served with roasted brussel sprouts

All day I’d been checking in the forward basement compartment for a hydraulic oil leak. The paper towels I had spread in there remained dry. On Monday afternoon, I fiddled with the hydraulic jacks. A few hours later, we had a small drop of oil spreading on the paper towel. It was dark by the time I checked it out so I couldn’t determine the source of the leak.

After playing pickleball this morning, I cleared the forward basement compartment and crawled inside. I used a flashlight and clean paper towels to see if I could figure out where the oil was coming from. There’s a 1-1/2″ diameter hydraulic cylinder about a foot long in the compartment. Each end of the cylinder is held to a steel tab with U-bolts. I could see hydraulic oil on the threads of the U-bolt on the rear of the cylinder.

HWH synchronizing cylinder

I loosened the U-bolts and tried to trace the oil. There’s a 90-degree elbow fitting and a hydraulic hose near the U-bolt, but it was dry around the fitting and hose. There’s also a rod that protrudes from the end of the cylinder. I read through a HWH hydraulic system service manual and learned a few things.

The cylinder is a synchronizing cylinder – commonly called a synch cylinder. It’s used when two or more hydraulic rams are operated simultaneously – such as the hydraulic generator slide or the living room slide-out. It’s not part of the leveling jack system. This had me puzzled because the intermittent leak happened after we set up here at Tower Point RV Resort. I haven’t operated the generator slide or the living room slide since we set up two months ago.

I found out that the rod protruding from the end of the cylinder will move when the system the synch cylinder is plumbed into is activated. So I tried running the generator slide open and checked the rod. No movement, so it’s not part of the generator hydraulic system. Then I pulled the living room slide partway in. The rod extended from the cylinder. So it’s plumbed into the living room slide hydraulic rams.

I put the living room slide out again and checked the synch cylinder for leaks. No sign of any fluid leak. I cut an empty one-gallon plastic water jug and made a catch basin. I wired it in place under the end of the synch cylinder where the oil dripped from the U-bolt. I’ll keep checking for a leak and try to trace it again. In the mean time, the catch basin will keep oil off the basement carpet and anything else in there.

Catch basin wired in place

I’m hoping the leak isn’t an internal problem with the synch cylinder, but I’m beginning to think it may be. I looked it up and that part costs $474!

Yesterday I stopped in at the Towerpoint office to pay the electric bill and extend our stay to Wednesday, April 20th. The lady in the office was going to give me five extra days at the monthly rate instead of reverting to the daily rate. Then we talked about the daily rate with Passport America. We’re Passport America members and it gives us 50% off of the normal daily rate. She did the calculation and the Passport America rate worked out to be about $10 higher for the five days – but it included electricity. The monthly rate doesn’t include electricity.

We’re expecting temperatures in the 90s before we leave. That means running both roof air conditioners – and using a lot of electricity. I opted for the Passport America rate so I’ll have no worries about running the air conditioners as needed. She told me not to pay my current electric bill – they will read the meter again on Friday (our original end date here). I’ll settle the electric bill and pay for the extra five nights then.

Ouch, That Hurts

I failed to mention in my last post that Sunday marked the beginning of the Formula 1 and Moto GP racing seasons. The Formula 1 race was in Australia and I recorded it. Fernando Alonso had a frightening crash – it didn’t look survivable but he walked away from it. It proves the safety of the current car design. The Moto GP race was a night race in Qatar. It was an entertaining race, I’m looking forward to the season. Moto GP is being televised on a channel called beIn Sports. I had to upgrade my DISH network programming to get this channel. It looks like we’re in for better coverage than we had on Fox in previous years.

Tuesday was a laid back day. After pickleball, I did exactly that – I laid back and read a book. You can choose to do that when you’re retired. At 3pm, Donna rode the Spyder to her piano lesson. When she came back, I took the Spyder to the Elks Lodge to follow up once again. The guy there told me that my best bet would be to come between 9am and noon to talk to the secretary directly.

After I left the Elks Lodge, I stopped at Lucky Lou’s. I found Mike Hall and a couple of the guys there. We sat together for a couple of brews and talked. On the way out, I saw a Harley parked next to the Spyder. What caught my eye was the front wheel. This bike had a huge front wheel. I’ve never seen a motorcycle with a 26-inch rim before.

Look at the diameter of that front wheel

120/50-26

Donna prepared shrimp skewers which I cooked on the Weber Q. She served them with a delicious baby squash medley with feta cheese and kalamata olive bread.

Shrimp skewers hot off the grill

I had a little trouble grilling the shrimp. The Weber Q ran out of propane a couple of minutes after I put the shrimp on. It was windy out and it took a few minutes to get the grill back up to temperature after I replaced the propane bottle. They came out fine though.

Shrimp skewer with baby squash assortment and kalamata olive bread

The wind had the palms swaying as I shot a photo of the sunset.

Palm trees swaying at sunset at Towerpoint RV Resort

This morning Donna and I played pickleball from 8am to 10am. I took a quick shower and rode the Spyder over to the Elks Lodge. I met the secretary and went over my story of applying for membership a month ago and also our plan to leave the area in April. It turned out my application had been mis-filed. He looked it over and said I should count on being at the orientation on April 18th and the induction on April 19th. So I guess we’ll be extending our stay here in Mesa, Arizona.

When I came home, I backed the Spyder into our site as usual. The wind had moved our awning mat. I grabbed it and pulled it back into place. As I did so my leg hit the end of the hot exhaust pipe on the Spyder. It burned my leg and it’s painful. Hopefully it won’t be too bad. I cooled it immediately but it still hurts. I’ll have to get started on my trailer project anyway while we have cooler weather.

Trailer Project – Part One

In my last post, I said I expected a change from the routine here at Towerpoint RV Resort in Mesa, Arizona. I’ve been hitting the pickleball courts every morning then relaxing and reading in the afternoons before finding friends at the pub. Well, the parcels that I mentioned in my last post were delivered late, so Tuesday was a repeat of the previous days.

Donna bought a seven-pound whole chicken and we roasted it on the Traeger grill/smoker Tuesday evening. It took a little longer than the typical five-pound chicken but it came out great. We went with the usual rub of Sweet Rub O’Mine to spice the chicken. As always, the roasted chicken was great. I checked the internal temperature at 90 minutes since it was such a large bird and found it needed a little more time. When I checked it again 10 minutes later, I feared I’d overcooked it, but it was fine – juicy and tasty.

Another Traeger chicken - it's not burnt, the rib turns black with no burnt taste at all

Another Traeger chicken – it’s not burnt, the rub turns black with no burnt taste at all

Donna served it with steamed broccoli and fried sweet potato

Donna served the grilled chicken with steamed broccoli and roasted sweet potato

On Wednesday morning, we hit the pickleball courts early as the weather is heating up with a high pressure system stalled over the southwest. We expected temperatures to reach 90 degrees in the afternoon.

After several games, we came home around 10:30am and I set to work on my project for the day. I’d ordered cabinets to mount in our new 8.5 x 20′ car carrier trailer. My thinking is to reorganize the way we use the trailer. In our old 6 x 12′ cargo trailer, I had things stored in crates stacked on top of each other and hung bicycles from the ceiling. I’d like to organize it in a way that allows me to access and find things without unstacking crates and stepping over stuff on the trailer floor.

After pickleball Wednesday morning, I went to work in the trailer. The cabinets I received required some assembly.

Okay – cabinet in a box

Some assembly required

The Suncast Wall Storage cabinets I ordered weren’t too difficult to assemble. I think they’ll make it easier for me to organize and access things I frequently use in the trailer.

Cabinet mounted

Job done

I mounted two cabinets – one on each side at the forward end of the wheel wells. I think this is a well-balanced placement and I can add additional cabinets to the rear if I decide to do so. Of course the installation didn’t go without a hitch. I had 1-1/2 inch #10 self-drilling screws on hand. Wouldn’t you know it, they were a hair short of what I needed to tap into the steel upright wall studs to mount the cabinet to the trailer walls. So, as usual, the project meant a trip to the hardware store for 2″ self-tapping screws. I measured carefully to ensure the screws wouldn’t hit the outer trailer skin.

By the time I’d finished this, it was nearly 2pm. Donna, who had been busy working on her own projects, suddenly realized we had an appointment with our CPA George Montgomery to prepare our taxes at 2pm. She called George and we set our appointment back to 3pm. George is a former full-timer and understands the nomadic lifestyle as well as the tax implications.

Donna pan fried a wild Alaskan salmon filet for dinner and served it over an orzo salad with cherry tomatoes, spinach and feta cheese – so good.

Pan fried Alaskan salmon filet with orzo salad

I had another delivery on Tuesday – new front tires for the Spyder – and two deliveries late Wednesday. At 8:15pm, UPS showed up with an order I placed with Amsoil for the Spyder and an order I placed online with Sears for a hydraulic floor jack. My old jack was stolen by those Dirty, Rotten Thieves and I need one to service the Spyder. It’ll also come in handy if we ever suffer a flat on the trailer down the road. I have a spare trailer tire, but without a jack, I would need roadside assistance.

It was a warm day yesterday with the temperature in the mid-80s. Today is supposed to be hot with the temperature reaching an unseasonably high of 90 degrees. I’m off to the pickleball courts before it gets too hot to play.

Leap Day Hijinks

Sunday was a rest and relaxation day for me. I finished a book I was reading and watched the coverage of NHRA eliminations from Wild Horse Pass on TV. In the evening, Donna rode the Can Am Spyder over to Sara Graff’s house to watch the Academy Awards program.

Nice sunset after a relaxing day

We hit the pickleball courts around 8:15 on Monday morning. We had short breaks between games and played steadily until 10am. Pickleball players are rated by ability through a system that numbers players between one and five. One is a beginner while five is expert level play. As you progress in skill, you go through stages. At 10am, they had a class for 3.0 level players. Donna attended and went through drills. The class used two courts. The other two courts were reserved for 3.0 players. I played there although I’m at about a 3.5 level. The guys I played with were all 3.0 to 4.0 players and we had very competitive games. I ended up playing for about three hours total and got a lot of steps in – measured by the Samsung Galaxy S Health app.

Look at the activity between 8 and 11am

Our neighbors were preparing to pull out with their fifth-wheel trailer but they had a problem. The right rear jack wouldn’t retract. They have a Lippert electric jack system on their Durango trailer. I took a look at it but without a wiring diagram, I couldn’t do much. I looked for a simple solution like a blown fuse or loose connector at the jack motor but didn’t come up with anything. They had to stay another day and wait for a mobile RV technician to come out.

I had a repair to make on our new car carrier trailer. When I picked up the trailer, I had the guys at TrailersPlus install a handle on the side door. I noticed right away that the upper mount of the handle was only screwed through the door skin into the plywood. The guy missed the steel beam inside the door. I had him redo it by moving the handle 1/4″ to the right and reinstall the screw. It seemed secure.

The heat sometimes makes the door seals on the trailer stick. This happened yesterday. When I pulled on the handle the lower mount pulled loose – he had missed the steel beam on the lower mount as well! I measured the correct distance and saw I had to move the lower mounting screw 1/4″ to the right. When I removed the existing screw to move the handle, I found bad news. It was amateur hour at TrailersPlus. Not only had the guy missed the beam, he missed twice! I found two holes in the door skin – one had the screw into the plywood and the other was hidden by the edge of the handle. Moving the handle to the right to screw it into the beam exposed the first hole. I wasn’t too happy about it.

Poor workmanship

I phoned TrailersPlus when they opened this morning – they’re closed on Mondays. I e-mailed the photo of the hole in the door skin and I’m waiting to hear what the solution will be.

Donna ordered a new trash receptacle for our coach. It’s larger than what we were using and has two compartments – one for garbage and one for recyclables. It has a foot-operated lid that closes slowly and silently when you remove your foot from the pedal. She found it online at Bed, Bath and Beyond. It’s made by a company called Simple Human.

New trash can

Lid slowly closing over two compartments

Last night, Donna made turkey burgers with a special sauce recipe she got from our friend Karin Von Kay. I grilled them on the Weber Q.

Turkey burger with green chilies and special sauce

Turkey burger with special sauce

Last night, Ozark went crazy with catnip. I gave her a small amount and she kept begging for more. After awhile I think she was a little loopy.

Ozark feeling the catnip

This morning I took it easy on the pickleball courts. I played for about an hour and half while Donna went to the gym and worked out. This afternoon I have some errands to run. We need kitty litter and water from Costco. I need to shop for court shoes and I’m thinking of buying a new motorcycle helmet I saw at Steve’s Cycles.

Drag Racing

On Friday evening, Donna and I went to Red, White and Brew for dinner. We sat at the bar and had a cold one before ordering from their appetizer menu. Donna had her favorite – mussels vin blanc – which are green lip mussels sauteed with white wine, lemon, garlic and butter.

Mussels vin blanc

I ordered a quesadilla with spicy chicken sausage, three cheeses and hatch chile peppers. It was delicious.

After we ate, we decided to swing by Lucky Lou’s and see who was there. We found all the usual suspects – Mike and Jodi Hall, Mike’s brother Brian, Pat, Leendert, Ray and John. Pat, Leendert and I firmed up our plans for the NHRA drag races. Pat would pick me up a little before 8am Saturday morning, then we would drive to Scottsdale to pick up Leendert and head out to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park – formerly Firebird Raceway (map).

Leendert had made arrangements with his friend Ray. We would join Ray and his crew in the RV section where Ray had his motorhome parked right next to the track near the finish line. For $50 each we got admission, breakfast and lunch and unlimited beer, soda and water all day.

One of the things I enjoy at the NHRA events is the access. Your ticket for admission is also a pit pass. You can wander around the pit area and watch the teams prepare the cars. You meet drivers and crew – they’re all very accessible and friendly. I took a few pictures of the cars and bikes being prepared for the afternoon qualifying sessions. One of the new events here was nitro Harley top fuel bikes.

I won’t go into all of the technical details of the cars – but suffice to say that any motor burning nitromethane is going make huge power and they tend to break parts. The top fuel dragsters and funny cars get a complete teardown and rebuild after every run. That’s right – the engines only last for a minute or two of running time. They get fired up after assembly to make adjustments and make sure nothing is leaking. Then they are started when the cars approach the staging area. They do a burnout to heat and clean the tires. Then they make the full power pass that propels them to speeds over 320 mph in 1,000 feet – it takes less than four seconds.

The guys doing this on two wheels are crazy. They are laid out in a superman position with their arms cradling a nitro-burning grenade of a motor as they accelerate down the 1/4 mile dragstrip to speeds of 220 mph in about six seconds.

Del Worsham’s funny car chassis

Top fuel dragster

Funny car chassis – wheelie bar on the rear

Nitro Harley chassis

Nitro Harley ready to run

Although there’s nothing to compare to these nitro-burning contraptions, I also enjoy watching the Pro Stock class. These cars are very sophisticated. They’re powered by gasoline burning 500 cubic-inch V8 engines. This year they’re using fuel injection – in the past they used carburetors. Most of the teams are secretive about their set-ups and often cover the engine or intake manifold with towels in the pit area.

Pro Stock car – note large intake snorkel and towel over intake manifold

Mike Hall and his brother Brian showed up around 10:30am and joined us.

Mike, Pat and Leendert in front of the big screen at the finish line

We had a fun afternoon. It was hot out – the temperature reached 88 degrees. I stayed hydrated with plenty of water in the morning and cold beer in the afternoon. Ray’s crew cooked up fixings for breakfast burritos in the morning – scrambled eggs with cheese and sausage and hash browns wrapped in a toasted flour tortilla. In the afternoon cheeseburgers and hot dogs were on the grill served with potato salad.

Cheeseburgers and hot dogs on the grill

While I was at the races, Donna planned to ride the Spyder over to Sara Graff’s house. She and Sara would drive to Singh Farms – a local working farm that has a farmers’ market on the weekend – and meet up with their friend Stevie Ann. Donna’s plan was dashed when she reached Gilbert & Brown. Gilbert Road was closed for the Phoenix Marathon as were the main roads north of Brown. The only way Donna could get to Sara’s house would be to backtrack and get on the Loop 202 freeway. She wasn’t dressed for a blast down the freeway at 70 mph. After exploring her options, she gave up and told Sara she wasn’t going to make it over there.

A funny thing happened in the morning while I was on the way to the races. Sara’s husband Howard sent me a text telling me to let Donna know that Sara was in the shower and would call her back. Apparently Howard saw the missed call from Donna on Sara’s phone. He sent the text to me because he didn’t have Donna’s number in his phone. I, in turn, sent the message to Donna. I thought Donna would wonder how I knew she called Sara and how I knew Sara was in the shower!

I walked more than 11,000 steps at the races yesterday. That and all of the pickleball I’ve been playing lately left me with a little soreness in my feet and stiff joints. I think I’ll take it easy today – read a book and try to stay cool as the temperature will be in the upper 80s again today.

Flying The Koop

…from real estate to wheel estate and back again

Category Archives: Grilling

Little Deschutes River

Black Butte Lake

Another Chico Farmers’ Market

Window Shopping on the Strip

Free Beer

Synchronizing Cylinder

Ouch, That Hurts

Trailer Project – Part One

Leap Day Hijinks

Drag Racing

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