The final stretch - Tucson to US/Canada Border

 

A tight squeeze at the Kingman KOA, AZ

On Friday April 14 we pulled up the levelling jacks and hit the road headed north toward home.  Temperatures were a nice 73ºF (18ºC) when we left just before 10 a.m. Having had a good rest in Tucson, we were ready to drive straight through with only overnight stops, provided the weather allowed it.  

As we approached Phoenix we decided to give the local Freightliner service centre a call, just for the heck of it.  We thought we’d see if they had a DEF header in stock for our rig and if so what kind of timelines we were looking at for service.  Turns out they did have a DEF header in stock, but their RV Warranty service line was backed up at least 2-3 weeks.  The RV service manager was very helpful though and tried to get us into the regular service line.  Apparently there are two different service lines depending on if it’s an RV warranty issue or not.  Well, the fellow at that side was very helpful too.  He said he could possibly get it in that day to run diagnostics.  The problem was that even if he could get the diagnostics done that same day, the fix wouldn’t get done until the following week.  He explained that over the weekend they go from close to 60 mechanics down to only 5 or 6.   Thinking that it wouldn’t be too bad to be “stuck” in Phoenix in an RV park while we waited for them to get us in I said “great, once diagnostics are done we’ll just book into a local RV park to wait for your call”.  He shot me quite a look and said “Ma’am, that’s not how things work with truck servicing.  You drop it off and we’ll keep it from the diagnostics until it’s fixed.  You’ll have to get a hotel room”.  To that I of course laughed out loud.  Not a chance in hell we’d find a pet friendly hotel room that would let us bring 3 cats and a huge dog.  Nor do we want to have to live in a hotel room and foot that bill along with meals for god knows how long.  So, I thanked him for his honesty and on we went.  It was a bit funny as they looked at us kinda shocked, wondering how it was that we were going to drive off with such an issue.  Of course, we didn’t mention to them we had the DEF Simulator hooked up.  So our decision was made.  We’d just forge on and bring her in for service once we got home.  Much better scenario with the ability to unload the RV and have everyone all comfortable in the house.  It can sit in the service centre as long as they need to have it once we’re home.

We put in a good days mileage considering our pit stop in Phoenix, clocking 312 miles.  We made it to Kingman Arizona where we took the beautiful beast through a quick basic wash at the Blue Beacon truck wash before heading over to the Kingman KOA.  This was where we discovered not all KOAs are created equally.  This park was quite small and not at all up to the level of the KOA’s we’d stayed at in Las Vegas or Tucson.  And it didn’t seem to be in the best area of town.  We likely would have been better off in a rest stop, if we could find a quiet one.  They squeezed us into the tightest pull through spot I’ve ever seen, our bedroom slide was actually touching the hedges with no patio or anything (see the first picture in this post).  I also had to fib a bit when they asked us what breed of dog we had.  Uh oh, this was the first time we’d been asked that and I knew we might be in trouble.  Many RV parks throughout the states prohibit Rottweilers, Dobermans, Shepherds and Pit Bulls. I said we had a lab/rottie mix.  The woman at the desk was preoccupied training a new hire and she didn’t quite hear me.  When she asked again what breed it was the trainee said “she has a lab”.  And, I didn’t correct them.  Last thing I wanted was to have to get back on the road as darkness was approaching.  So Heffay got an incognito walk once it got dark, lol! HeyZeus got a nice walk in too.  

All in all, for an overnight I guess it was ok, but definitely not worth the $53 US ($72 Cdn) it cost us. It won’t be a place we’ll stop at again unless in a pinch. *Click on any picture to make it larger.

HeyZeus exploring the tiny cabins for rent at the Kingman KOA

Saturday April 15 we were on the road before 9 a.m. headed to Tonopah, Nevada.  On the way there we stopped at the Area 51 Alien Centre for a short break and to take some pictures.  Who knew there was also a brothel at the Area 51 Alien Center?  And yes, it was open for business.

We made it to Tonopah by 4pm, an impressive 331 miles of driving.  It’s a small town and what really stood out was that it had no cellular service!  Crazy thinking there are still towns with no cellular service.  Although headed for a rest stop on the other side of Tonopah, we made a last minute decision to pull into Tonopah RV park.  Temperatures were getting down close to freezing overnight and we wanted the ability to plug in to run our heat pump.  It was not much of a “park”, rather a dirt lot along the side of the highway.  We were actually lucky to get a spot only because of a last minute cancellation.  At least here prices were more reasonable at $35 US ($48 Cdn).  What really sucked though was there was no WiFi signal.  I had a chuckle when I looked up the link to the park to include in this post.  It says on there that they listened to their customers and enhanced the WiFi.  Well, it sure wasn’t working the night we were there and neither was our Solis WiFi plan.  That made for an early night, lol!

An interesting tourist attraction in Tonopah, NV
The Clown Motel

While in Tonopah I evaluated our options for the next day’s travel.  We could head more westerly toward Reno or continue on a mostly northerly route toward Winnemucca, NV.  We had taken the Reno route on our way down last year.  In the end, the weather dictated our route as a Winter Storm advisory was posted for the westerly route.  

On Sunday April 16 we made our way toward Winnemucca, NV, a new route for us.  Just before 10 a.m. at a brisk 54ºF (12º C) we hit the road.  There was some added excitement that morning as we noticed Gizmo remained on the bed for the drive. He didn’t run and hide under the recliner like he had all the travel days prior to this.  Some excellent progress!  Poor guy must’ve been wondering what the hell he got himself into coming home with us in this house on wheels! 

A quick (and blurry) snapshot from my seat of Gizmo on the bed during the drive 💕 

After five and a half hours and 210 miles we decided to stop at the Cosgrove Rest Area in Winnemucca, NV.  Although not a lot of miles were covered, the whole day of driving Dan fought brutal winds making the journey more stressful and tiresome, particularly for him.  We found a nice spot in the back away from the truckers at this rest stop, where the wind was blocked by the bathroom buildings.  

We’re not in the desert anymore!

There’s birds in this tree mom!

Monday April 17 we continued our journey home, hitting the road just before 9 a.m. with temps a cool 54ºF (12ºC).  Our destination for the day was somewhere around Burns or Bend, Oregon.  Unfortunately, the brutal winds continued this day as well.  Making matters worse, as soon as we crossed the border between Nevada and Oregon (@McDermitt) the road turned to crap, very similar to some of the crap Mexican roads we have experienced.  That coupled with the brutal winds made the journey even less fun.  

But the kicker was when we turned off of Interstate 95 and onto the OR 78 Hwy.  Although road conditions themself improved, the entire stretch of Hwy 78 was almost completely barren, no other travellers for miles and miles AND no cellular service to boot!  There were also numerous “Open Range” signs along the highway.  At one point along the way we did have to stop for some cattle that were crossing the road.  Not an ideal situation.  We definitely won’t be taking that route again.  Oh, I almost forgot…..it also started to snow the closer we got to Bend.  Something we were definitely hoping to avoid.  Not that easy given the time of year I guess.

Oregon Hwy 78 - approaching Bend, OR

White stuff!!! Brrr 🥶 

We made it to Burns, Oregon by the early afternoon and decided to press on toward Bend.  We attempted to stop at a rest area along the route, but there was no shelter from the brutal winds plus the lot itself was not level which would make for an uncomfortable night.

At 5 p.m. on Monday night as snow started to fall, we pulled into the Scandia RV Park in Bend, Oregon.  Prices were the highest yet at $73 US ($98 Cdn) per night.  The park was nice and clean and quiet even though it was basically in the middle of town.  It’s actually right near many of the outlet malls in Bend.  We were grateful to be able to plug in though and to warm ourselves and the rig up as temperatures were already a low 37ºF (3ºC) but felt like 32ºF (0ºC) with the winds.

The picture is deceiving.  It was COLD 🥶 here!

 After reviewing weather conditions we decided to extend our stay for another night.  Winter storm advisories were being posted all around the cascade mountain range and even though our route was on the outside edge of the advisories, I wanted to take another day to see how things played out.  

On Wednesday April 19 we got on the road just before 9 a.m. with temperatures a chilly 34ºF (1ºC) and a light dusting of snow on the ground.  Our route was north toward the Columbia River.  We took highway 97/197 along the eastern edge of the cascade mountain range, just outside of the winter weather advisory area. Thankfully we had avoided the white stuff.  The picture below is from the weather app I started using called WeatherBug.  By adding the locations we’d be driving through I would get updates and alerts along the route.  It also pins the locations you’ve added on a map (although sometimes the pins are a little off from the actual route).  We headed north from Bend to The Dalles where we connected to Highway 84 the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway which runs along the Columbia River all the way to Portland, OR.

Hwy 84 along the Columbia River

After 318 miles of driving we pulled into the American Heritage Campground in Olympia, Washington.  What a beautiful park, nestled in a quiet 25 acre forest.  Although we could have stayed at a rest station, temperatures were still cool so a site with power was more desirable.  Plus, Heffay got a nice nature walk.  Sadly, it was just too cold for HeyZeus to get a walk in, no matter how hard he cried/yelled at us.  This would be our final night in the US for this snowbird adventure.

Although it looks like we’re the only ones here, there were other campers.
What a beautiful setting, and a nice quiet night!

Thursday April 20 would be our last day in the US.  With only a few hours drive to the US/Canada border there was no big rush to get on the road early.  We left the park at 10 a.m. with temperatures at a cool 40ºF (6ºC).  Shortly after 1 p.m. we pulled right up to the booth at the Abbotsford Border crossing, zero vehicles in front of us.  After no more than five minutes of questions we were through.  Another super easy crossing! The most interesting part of our conversation with the guard was when he asked us in a very serious manner “WHY would you winter in Mexico?” To which we replied “for the heat and sunshine”. His response was “aren’t there other places that get heat and sunshine in the US?” Well, not this year there wasn’t…and not areas that get as warm as Mexico does.  It was just a strange interaction, but harmless all the same. 

Crossing in Abbotsford allowed us to meet up with the fellow we were buying our inflatable boat from (as mentioned in a prior post).  This inflatable will replace the kayak for future snowbird adventures.  After finalizing our deal and loading the boat we headed for Tsawwassen to catch the ferry.  Unfortunately strong winds earlier in the day forced some sailing cancellations.  As a result all the evening ferries were fully booked.  As we did last year, we spent the final night of our snowbird adventure in the Walmart parking lot just a short drive from the ferry terminal.  

Headed toward Tsawwassen
A grey, wet and dreary west coast day

The next morning, Friday April 21 we got on the 10:15 a.m. ferry headed to home.  Officially concluding another fantastic snowbird trip.  

A well deserved rest after many long days of driving

Summary Mexico/US Border to US/Canada Border

Total miles driven = 1827 miles 

Fuel - $873 ($1180 Cdn)

Accommodation: $540 US ($728 Cdn)

- 1 night @ Canoa Ranch Rest Area, AZ = Free

- 5 nights @ Tucson/Lazydays AZ KOA = $246 US ($332 Cdn)

- 1 night @ Kingman AZ KOA = $53 US ($72 Cdn)

- 1 night @ Tonopah NV RV Park = $35 US ($48 Cdn)

- 1 night @ Winnemucca NV Rest Area = Free

- 2 nights @ Scandia RV Park in Bend, OR = $147 US ($196 Cdn)

- 1 night @ American Heritage Campground in Olympia, WA = $59 US ($80 Cdn)

Here’s looking forward to our next Snowbird adventure! 

Let the countdown begin 😊 

A few days rest in Tucson, Arizona

 

As planned, we stopped at the KOA in Tucson for a driving break and to monitor the weather up north.  It was a hard and long winter for most of the US and Canada and the blustery weather wasn’t quite gone in early April when we crossed into the US.  We were in no rush to drive through any of that white stuff.

The Tucson/Lazydays KOA was such a pleasant surprise.  We’d stayed at only one KOA before, in Las Vegas last year.  It was a very nice park but the Tucson KOA blows it out of the water.  It’s a huge park with many different kinds of spots, from your basic back in site to pull throughts, fire pits, adirondak chairs, some covered, many with fruit trees (lemon and orange) and some with their own raised deck. 

I asked for the cheapest site they had available.  We didn’t need anything fancy. As a bonus, they happened to put us right beside one of their WiFi boosters for the park so the free park WiFi actually WORKED for our whole stay.  A great bonus as it saved us in using any of our Solis day passes while there!  I’ll definitely be requesting that site again for future stays 😉 

The park has gorgeous desert foliage, two very nice pools, two laundry rooms, a fitness centre, a pickle ball court,  an onsite restaurant, insite shophorse shoe pits, putting greens, a small pond, an RC race track, basketball hoops, indoor pool and shuffleboard tables, small individual size dog areas and a 1/2 acre fenced dog park to boot! And there is probably other stuff I’m missing. It is HUGE and so well maintained.  And, the staff were very friendly and welcoming.  We spent a lot of time walking around with the boys and taking pictures.  

Sites with fully enclosed pet enclosures, fire ring and table/chairs

A “buddy” site where two RV’s can pull up and have their doors open onto this shared patio, dining area.  So nice and such comfortable furniture! That’s our rig in the top right of the photo.

Beautiful and fragrant fruit trees.  This one is lemon 🍋 

Sites with fire pits and raised decks some covered with sunshade cloth

After our first of two nights, we knew we wouldn’t be ready to leave so we added on another night.  Then, after that night we added on another two nights.  We REALLY enjoyed our stay here and have plans now to spend at least a full week on our trip down to Mexico next snowbird season.

Playing with different camera features

And to improve your enjoyment watching the stunning sunsets, they have an area with very comortable adirondack chairs surrounding large fire pits.  A perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine while enjoying the sunset!

The chairs were so comfortable, I ended up ordering some for our own enjoyment.  They’re folding too so we can pack em up and take them with us when we head south next year.

And, during the high heat of the late afternoon we all frequently enjoyed a nice nap.

Temperatures in the mid/late afternoon got very very warm.  Our temperature sensor registered into the 50 degree celsius range every day at this time.  So hot that you had to be careful when opening the door of the RV which is a black metal handle.  I’m not sure how locals manage this kind of heat, let alone when it’s the heat of summer.  Although, I think the few days of high heat we got while there were a bit of an anomaly for that time of year.  The dryness too is sure something to get used to.  Our bodies never did transition from the high humidity of Mexico to the desert dryness while there.  Even poor Heffay had a huge dandruff outbreak.  He looked like he’d walked into a dusty bush or something.  It was crazy!  

The early morning and early evening were very pleasant, great temperatures for walking and exploring.

A short video mash up of HeyZeus and Heffay enjoying the pet friendly park.  When playing the video click the bottom left square to view in full screen.

We even got a chance to enjoy the pool and hot tub almost all to ourselves on a hot afternoon.  Very refreshing!

We did contact the local Freightliner Service centre but were advised they don’t make appointments and the only option was to drive over and wait in line in hopes of being seen.  Well, that wasn’t going to work.  Not when we’re living in the RV with three cats and a dog.  So strange, no appointment.  Who has time to sit in a line all day in hopes of being seen?   Other than relax for a few days, we also used the opportunity to stock up on groceries and pet supplies and enjoyed a wonderful pizza delivered to our door!  

All in all, a very enjoyable stay.  One we wished we had stayed longer at and one we’ll definitely repeat next season.

Total Accommodation costs: 5 nights - $246 US ($332 Cdn)

Dates:  April 9-13