April 6, 2019 – Season is over and we have returned to Surrey. Following the completion of our 1st 45 day mainland Mexico tour, we returned to the La Penita RV Park north of Puerto Vallarta where we spent the month of January and February. We started our trek north March 1 slowly, always best to let the weather clear up before arriving back in Canada. We returned to Canada in March of 2009 and got snowed on, never again we vowed.
March 14th we headed north from our last stop in Mexico, the Punta Vista RV Park in Santa Ana, Sonora on the west side of Hwy 15. We left about 7:30 am jumped on Hwy 15 for a short distance before making the turn onto Hwy 2 westbound. We turned in our Truck permit (TIP) at the Banercito & Aduana complex 21 km east of the border crossing. This was hard to miss given it size and location, make sure you take the Bus entrance. When we arrived the security guard stated we were in the wrong location (go where the cars are), the officials confirmed we were in the correct location.
Our next stop was the US border at the Sonoyta, Sonora-Lukeville, AZ border crossing where we pick up Hwy 85 north. Our wait was 15-20 minutes, the US Customs official very polite and brief, less than 2 minutes we were on our way. Our destination was the Saddle Mountain RV Park in Tonapah, AZ off of Interstate 10 east of Phoenix. Our 1st choice was the Leaf Verde RV Resort, however they were full, seems the snowbirds were in no hurry to venture northward. This was a 474 km drive and took us about 8 hours, lunch and furl stop included.
We booked in for a week, lots to do, Wagon Masters to meet with and more. Purchased the Wi-Fi for the week, mostly it worked well. We had read the reviews on line about the staff, unfriendly and friendly, we were received by “Susan”, and this experience would reflect the “unfriendly” review comments. We made a couple of trips into Buckye for shopping and for Lulu’s “Wash & Groom”. The weekly rate was $28 per night, the pool was heated, the laundry worked well, unfortunately cell service sucked which mattered as we had listed our house back in Surrey.
March 21st and our journey continued as we were headed to the Oasis RV Park in Las Vegas, NV. It was on the road that we learned that Wynter Sylvia Laycock had arrived on her due date. We are pleased to report that Danny & Heather are very proud parents and our newest granddaughter is doing great, she was a biggin, 9’5ounces. This drive was uneventful, not a lot of traffic or scenery, we did see a couple of Prong Horn Antelope, a first for us. Our route of the I-10, Hwy 95, Hwy 11 and a short drive on the I-215 had us on the road for about 8 hours and 478 km.
We met our friends Mark & Kathy in Las Vegas, just turned out we were in the same place at the same time. We joined them for dinner and played some penny slots. Kathy shared her lucky charms with me and I won $169 USD in 15 minutes (spent $4), then cashed out. We will see them again on our travels to the Okanagan this spring. The Oasis RV Resort is billed as a “Full Service” resort with all the bells and whistles, just like staying at a hotel in Vegas, it should be at $55 USD per night (discount included). Problem was no internet between 7am and 9PM unless you had a booster; and we still get complaints about Wi-Fi at Mexico campgrounds!
March 23rd was our next stop, the Wine Ridge RV Resort Pahrump, NV recommended by our San Carlos RV friends, Bob & Nancy. This was a short drive about 96 km westbound on Hwy 160, maybe a couple ours max. We had reservations for March 24 & 25 and were on standby for March 23. The RV Park was next door to the Pahrump Valley Winery, in the past they had a single owner. The park was not cheap at $40 USD per night, but definitely the best in this small town.
We arrived at the RV Park about noon and checked in at the office, Patrick at the front desk told us there were no cancelations but we were welcome to overnight at the overflow parking lot adjacent to the Winery, look for a couple of parked RVs. We found this easy enough, had a look and decided to go shopping and have lunch in town. We saw many other RV Parks in town and some Casino parking but decided the spot we had been referred to was off the main drag with a nice view of the mountains, no big deal for an overnight stay.
We turned in at 9pm or so but were awakened from a dead sleep at 10:30 pm by someone pounding on the outside doors! We were alarmed and groggy but still opened the door to find a women in her fifties shouting at us about parking on private property without permission. We attempted to explain how we ended up parked in this location but this women would have none of it. After a few minutes she relented and told us we could stay overnight. Afterwards we were dumbfounded and what just happened, at the time we assumed that both businesses were connected.
It took us some time to get back to sleep and slept in the next day. We arose about 7:30 am, made coffee and some toast when “Broom-Hilda” again arrived his her bright blue sports car. She parked right behind us, got out of car and started taking photos of the Trailer and the Truck. I opened the door and asked her what she was doing? The shouting started immediately. “I am the owner of the Winery” she proclaimed. “I told you could stay only overnight” “We have nothing to do with the RVs next door” “I am going to call the Sherriff.” I asked her “What is wrong with you?” and added “Calling the Sherriff is probably a good idea”. At no time did this gal ever identify herself. We learned later that she was the Winery Manager, hired only a couple of months ago. To be honest, we were both rattled, immediately packed up, and moved next door to the RV Park. We had decided we would not stay in Pahrump but wanted to tell Patrick in person what happened but it was Sunday and the office did not open until 10 am.
We parked in the RV registration line and on opening we sought out Patrick and shared our story. He was horrified and speechless. Although the Winery was purchased some years ago they had an understanding overflows from the RV Park could stay in the large, mostly empty parking lot, overnight until the next day. He admitted that the relationship between the businesses was changing rapidly since the new manager took over, but this news was stunning. He convinced us to stay, he made it right and sincerely apologized about our experience with “Broom Hilda”. We stayed the 2 nights but passed on a visit to the Winery where we had initially planned to do a wine tasting and have lunch. We have since concluded that this gal previously managed a biker bar in Vegas.
The park itself was very nice, lots of amenities including Pickle Ball and a Pool (not heated). Our Ontario neighbours were friendly enough even though they packed heat (open carry in Arizona). The big anti Trudeau pro Gun decal was the giveaway. Good news, they will never visit Mexico. We did have a nice visit with Bob & Nancy and their Dutch friends.
March 26th With Pahrump firmly in the rear view mirror we headed north not sure where our next stop would be. 438 km and 8 hours later we ended up at the Whiskey Flats RV Park in Hawthorne, NV. Easy in, easy out with all pull thru spaces and friendly to boot. We just followed Hwy 160 for short distance then stayed on the 395 northbound. This was the perfect overnight stay (they even had cable).
March 27th The next day we headed for Susanville, CA which was very doable until the weather showed up. As we headed towards Reno, NV snowfall warnings were issued in the passes including on I-80. Not a big problem we thought as we were not planning to venture that direction. As we turned north out of Reno onto Hwy 395 we were confronted with large Hwy Warning Signs “High Wind Advisory – RVs & High Profile Vehicle Warning”. We got of Hwy 395 at the next exit and drove directly to the Shamrock RV Park, 216 km was all for us. $39 USD and very convenient, good Wi-Fi and Cable, it worked out well for an unplanned stop.
March 28th Off at 9 am we were unsure of our destination, given the recent weather and we were not familiar with this roadway. Turns out this was a wonderful travel day, calm weather, very scenic with little traffic. We were in Susanville in no time and continued on Hwy 395 to Alturas, CA. From there we headed northwest to Kalmath Falls. After driving the commercial strip and finding many sketchy Mobile Home/RV Parks we decided the Home Depot looked best for an overnight. When the skies opened up with rain and hail the Days Inn became the option and we also ate dinner out. What the heck you only live once.
March 29th Valley of the Rogue State Park on I-5 was out next destination. We learned our friends Terry & Lee had taken on Campground Volunteer roles in February and March and we planned to meet them at the end of their term. Hwy 140 W was an easy drive, clear and wet, lots of snow at the passes, just not on the road. We spent some quality time with them, lots of laughs and catching up to do. Went for a great dinner at an Italian diner in Rogue River, unexpected and very tasty. They have decided to join us in La Penita next season, we are excited about that for sure.
March 31st Back on the I-5 at 8 am heading north with no particulat destination in mind other to get thru Portland. Turns out early Sunday afternoon was perfect timing, we breezed thru in about 45 minutes. We shut it down just before the 500 km mark stopping at Camp Kamala, in Kamala, WA. Pull thru site $37 USD no Wi-Fi signal but whatever. Lots of traffic noise so we just turned the up the volume on the movie.
April 1st Our last day on the road we headed north on I-5 turning east at Pullayup on Hwy 152 headed for Sumner RV for warranty work on our 2018 Arctic Fox. After dropping it off, unloading a number of items we were ready to go before 1 pm. We jumped on Hwy 167, then the Hwy 405 bypass, returned to the I-5 by 2 pm. Interesting enough as we approached the Blaine-Peace Arch crossing we were confronted by an oncoming white pickup truck towing a utility trailer. We took immediate evasive action pulling over to the shoulder as he went whizzing by. We reported this to the Canadian Customs Officer who immediately called his American counterparts. Good news was the excitement for the day was over.
We stopped in White Rock about 4 pm for a surprise visit with Danny, Heather and Wynter, our new granddaughter, all is good, so glad we made this our 1st stop. After that very uneventful drive home, our season has ended after our last 427 km.
We want to thank everyone, including our guests, wagon masters, friends and industry partners who made this a successful season, muchas gracias.
