After a week and a half camped in forest and visiting the Grand Canyon I spent one more night camped in a different area then headed home again to high temps and AC. Zapped by the heat, frozen by AC, I can’t seem to find a happy medium while waiting for monsoon rain.
Sunday after lunch with a friend I headed out of the park with the intent to camp not too far south of Tusyan, and no intent to stop in town. Except, I saw a sign for Chocolate Factory and fudge, a weakness of mine. Price was pretty good so I bought lots because it freezes well. I only nibble tiny bits at a time to make it last.
I then pulled onto FR302 but didn’t have to go far before realizing it’s directly under the flight pattern for the airport. No thanks! So I continued south and found a nice camp along FR306 instead. Not very busy out there which is just fine by me. I walked around sniffing pines to create a sensory image of that special scent. I believe the area is used as a hunting camp and will share more of that in a future video.
Early to bed and early to rise with a plan to stop for breakfast on the outskirts of Williams before heading home again.
I became sidetracked by the sight of a huge nest filling the top of a snag and turned around to check it out. Sure enough, an Osprey nest with an adult and one large chick visible.
Sadly, the preferred restaurant in Williams is permanently closed. So I got on I40 West figuring my next stop would be Chino Valley, by then time for lunch somewhere. I’m very bad about making food to eat on travel days.
Wasn’t far to Ashfork and my exit south on SR89. At the last minute I went into Ashfork hoping to find a restaurant and ended up at the Ranch House Cafe. Looks falling apart from the outside but is newly renovated inside. Chatted with a friendly regular at the next table. Food was adequately OK, though I ordered scrambled eggs and got sunny up for $12, plus tip. When I went to pay I didn’t have my wallet and panicked a little when I couldn’t find it in the camper or truck seat, so paid cash. Then remembered where I’d stashed it.
I finally headed south on SR89 and stopped in Chino Valley for fuel, once again $5.53 at Safeway, and bought a few groceries. By 2:30 I was home again unpacking with the AC on and enjoyed getting sprinkled on.
At 98° the next day, the poor AC struggled to keep it 85° inside so it was a rather lazy day. Packages arrived while I was gone so felt kind of like Christmas, just not cold enough. First to be opened, a tower stand for my laptop. I mostly wanted this to set on a counter and stand at the computer as sitting gets old. It’s a well made mostly heavy metal product and also works to raise the laptop at my desk so I’m looking more straight on to the monitor. So far I’m liking it. (If you want one use this link for me to make a few cents from Amazon at no extra cost to you.)
The rest not very exciting, a 2 1/2 gallon refillable water jug to set on the bumper for solar heating and hand washing when I’m parked is really cheap plastic. We’ll see how long that lasts. The lilly brush is rubber edged for scraping pet hair off the carpet and works better than just my fingers. Even “pet hair” vacuums don’t do the trick. And the red box is a 300 watt power inverter I’ll use in the truckcamper to charge phone and laptop off my solar charged battery.
Wednesday I had a morning eye appointment in Prescott. Seems like I just got these glasses a year ago but they’re just not right, especially for close up. Plus I have a few floaters and some fuzzyness, but still not ready for cataract surgery. Using my existing frames for the new lenses that won’t be ready for about 1 1/2 weeks. Thank goodness I had a pair of really old glasses in the camper that got me through the grocery store and home again. The rest of the day was reflective as it was the fourth year anniversary since my dearest friend Berta died.
OMG! Thursday 99°, Friday 100°. The AC is working overtime and at least keeping it tolerable inside, because it’s not tolerable outside even in the shade.
Only 92° Saturday under stormy skies with lots of rumbles but no rain. Such a tease.
Finally, Sunday below 90°. AC off and all windows open for the first time in almost a week. It’s humid but doable, cheaper, and not so noisy. Later I had to close a bunch of windows because it rained hard and even created puddles. That made me wonder if water flowed in the wash across my driveway, where it flows to, and if I leave will I be able to get back home again.
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After the major struggle I went through editing the last Rambling Road Trip video I can only say thank you for letting me know about the loud music. I deleted it completely. My idea was soft music in the background throughout but also to fill the quiet gaps. YouTube didn’t get my message. Hopefully the more recent video about climbing the 80 foot Grandview Tower is better, and of course much shorter. Super BIG thank you for watching these videos as I’m learning and really appreciate your suggestions and support. Sadly, my subscriber numbers are not going up like I’d hoped. Feel free to share them.
WOW !! You certainly have a lot to do on your travels Gaelyn and I must commend you on the organization you achieve. I don’t know how you manage to fit the Photo Friday and the Video’s in your schedule, but they are a wonder to watch. Thanks for sharing these lovely photo’s Take care and enjoy the rest of your journey.
Thanks. I’m not even sure how I get all the posts done and still have time to play.
What an adventure. That heat sounds awful. We’ve had the A/C on last week, but our nights have been lovely. We are cooling down enough that open windows suffice.
(ツ) from Jenn Jilks , ON, Canada!
Nice break for you to get to the high country & Christmas In July on your return home. Cute picture of you & Miss Sierra. When I share your YouTube on Facebook would you prefer privacy level at Public or Friends? So far I’ve only shared with Friends. Public seems so … Public. LOL But I guess that’s probably the idea so you hopefully get more Subscribers.
Thanks. Sure was a much needed break. Hopefully, next month, your side of the ditch.
Well even though I was at the bottom for my post it looks like it landed under Jenn. Sorry. I don’t know how to control that. Sigh…
I am not used to heat or AC, which thank goodness I can turn off at night.
I feel your concern about the number of subscribers. Not a youtuber but lately my blog posts have been struggling to reach double digit hits. But I’ll keep at it because I travel alone and blogging keeps me engaged in the trip. Besides, there’s those 9 readers to think about.
I think summer blog readers always drop as folks are busy. It’s a good way to keep track of life. Thanks for your support.
Like others, I am sure, I am so impressed with you ability and commitment to post two blogs every week AND shoot and edit videos. In addition to processing photos and all that goes along with that. As you know I have to work at keeping up with a blog a month and the photos pile up often before I get them in Lightroom. Love the monsoon photos after you returned home. I would love to figure out a way to visit during monsoon season,, but as you know, getting out and traveling a long distance in the heat of summer just isn’t really practical. This week the temps in Grants Pass have been between 104 and 110 depending on which weather station you view. Just too hot. We escaped for almost three days to the coast, where the high was 60 with foggy mornings but when we return today it will be still 107 then 109 and 110 before it finally drops to the high 90’s on Monday. Sure glad you didn’t travel here for a summer cool down! We got randomly lucky with a Harris Beach cancellation in a completely packed campground. The fog, chill, crowds, and kids reminded me of Judy and how much she disliked volunteering at Harris Beach that one summer for those reasons. Judy and Berta, both gone much too soon.
Thanks. Not sure how I could keep up with all three posts and editing if I was actually traveling full time. It does take a lot of time. I saw that you ran away to the beach and even felt a little jealous, except for all the crowds and kids. These NW temps are crazy, hotter than AZ.
I stopped at the Ranch House Cafe on my way north in May and they were closed because there was filming being done of that ‘rustic’ exterior.
I wish you well with the eye exam. You say you are not ready for cataract surgery. That is what the VA keep telling me as my vision become worse and worse. Maybe will get the surgery later this year. Pay attention to those few floaters; mine became a torn retina very suddenly.
Stay cool!
Ashfork has never been a good place for restaurants IMHO. This was nothing to brag about but filled the gap, and does have a huge parking lot. Today, a doctor appointment. And temperature below 80.
I am thankful for a thick stone walled house which never gets hot except for upstairs in the house where we have Velux roof windows. We have been up to 105/6 F some days which is just too hot outside even for us!
Lovely photos and I wish I cold see an Osprey. Gosh, is it really four years ago since Berta left this world and you took over Sierra, wow.
Take care and keep cool, hugs D & N
RVs are terrible to heat or cool. Thank goodness we’re back into the 70/80sF.
If you can only nibble that chocolate fudge you are a better woman than I. If Ponderosa were anywhere near me, I’d be sniffing them too. Yum! It’s sad when favorite restaurants become victims of Covid. It’s happened to me several times. Panic at the loss of wallet is a too frequent occurrence of mine. Some day that’s going to be the cause of my heart attack. Oh 98, 99 and 100 degrees. UGGGG! Makes me hot just thinking about it. I’ll bet your AC is struggling. I really don’t think I could do it. But finding cool places for the summer is getting more and more difficult. I just learned the Pocono mountains are out – 90’s. And that used to be the summer go to for the NYC moneyed. I wonder if we are all just going to fry as we put so much pollution in the air with our AC and that ups global warming raising the temperatures and requiring more AC pollution. At some point it has to all come crashing down. Frying sounds like a worse death than a heart attack. Boy what a cheery comment. The thought of 100 degrees does that to me.
$20 worth of fudge should last me over a month. I have some other chocolate to supplement. 😉 I rarely loose anything so when I do it’s extra frustrating. I’m amazed the RV AC could even make it tolerable inside but did pretty good considering. Everywhere is HOT now it seems.
I watched my first trip video thank you. I love towers and looked a bit for one decommissioned for a stay. Does anyone know of one in or close to AZ? One great book about experience: Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Fire Lookout by Philip Connors.
Thanks. More likely to find a rental tower during the off fire season. Or you could become a fire watcher.
I got a very heavy duty gizmo for my desk that lifts up the laptop so I can stand there. I love being able to alternate sitting and standing.
Video is really difficult. Shooting the video is ultra easy, it is editing it that is a major time suck. I’ll be checking your firetower video right after I hit the post button on this comment.
Editing is a bear. I have a trail cam coming to add to the load. Thanks for watching.