All about the animals

A new experience….hummingbirds with metallic blue breasts!  And there are SO many of them.  It’s no wonder with all the beautiful flowering bushes on the property.  If this were my place I’d definitely name it Casa Colibri (spanish for hummingbird house)

The first few days were interesting for Heffay.  The owners are animal lovers and have three dogs and two cats (plus a chicken).  They allow and even encourage all animals to be off leash.  Of course, their three dogs have free reign of the yard, it is their yard after all.  They mostly just stay on the covered wrap-around veranda.  

They’re all medium sized dogs but all together they pack a big loud bark (and they bark a lot).  Heffay isn’t used to that kind of stimulation.  It was quite a sight to see….this huge rottweiler who probably weighs the same as all three dogs combined, cowering on the top step of the RV.  He just didn’t know what to do about the situation and preferred to go inside away from those loud, barking and strange dogs. 

 Of course, within a day or two he had adapted and basically learned to just keep his distance.  It wasn’t long though before we made the decision to keep him tied up.  There are numerous reasons, a big one being his size and his predisposition to greet people by leaning into them and then promptly rolling over on his back.  That is if he likes you…aka you aren’t Mexican.  If he likes you his greeting is “sweet” unless you aren’t ready for it, or if you’re an older person who can’t handle that kind of weight leaning against your older knees!  And if your Mexican…well lets just say his “greeting” will have you running the other direction.  Anyone who’s ever heard a big dog’s “get away from here” bark will know what I mean.

There is another reason he’s tied up in a “off leash friendly yard”.  Remember the chicken I mentioned above?  Well she’s just out on a short leash in the open yard and well….Heffay figures she’d be quite a nice meal 😳 Yep, I tried to introduce him to her while he was on leash.  The result….a big NO.  On day 2 of being here he wandered over to her small yard.  Before he could get to her, we figure she broke her small chain and flew off. Thankfully she returned but not before giving us a few hours wondering if the owners were going to ask us to leave!  Lucky for us, they were very understanding and simply responded “she’s got out before, don’t worry she’ll come back”.  We were very happy that they were right.  She returned a few hours later. 

As sweet as Heffay is, he’s got quite a high prey drive.  So, no “free roaming” the property for him, at least when the chicken is out and about and not closed into her coop.  And even with the chicken locked in her coop, we don’t let him roam free.  He has a tendency to chase cats…he really doesn’t realize how big he is.  At home he and HoseHey play “tag” in the yard and he thinks all cats want to do that.  Not so much, ha ha!  

Hunt a chicken?  Who sweet little me? 

Heffay wasn’t the only one who was scared at first.  As mentioned in my last post our little guy Gizmo was also pretty freaked out by all the sounds, road noise and barking dogs at first.  Moving one site over from the road made a big difference.  At first we tried putting him in the cat tent, but I think he felt too trapped in there.  Dan convinced me to let him out and see how that worked.  Well, it worked wonderfully.  He’s much more relaxed, I think because he knows he can run away from any noise or perceived danger.  That said, he never runs too far.  He stays by the RV.  We only ever let him out when we’re out though.  

Gizmo - living the life! 
I just love his little white goatie.  

Of course, HeyZeus is in heaven here.  We’re back to our twice daily walks…somewhat of a routine during our snowbird time in Mexico.  Thankfully his prey drive isn’t as high as Heffay’s which allows him to get quite close to “Ebony Smudge” the chicken.  He’ll sometimes creep up on her like he’s hunting her but has never actually charged at her.  

Ebony smudge is a special chicken.  The owner uses her to raise money for local animal rescuers through monthly “chicken poop bingo”.  Although not from the owner of the property here, I found a funny quick video explaining how it works for your entertainment.  They describe it much better than I could 😂

HeyZeus with Ebony Smudge in the background

He visits her every morning and every evening.
  I swear she seems to like it…no clucking from her or anything

Taking a rest on top of the truck.  
A good spot to survey the property  🫢 

Speaking of Ebony Smudge, there was one evening when she was loose in the yard, tied only to small rock that she could easily drag along with her.  I didn’t know the owner had let her out and when I went to take Heffay for a walk around the property all hell broke loose!  She was behind some hedges where I didn’t see her.  Of course, Heffay saw her and he went after her.  I’ve never seen so many feathers fly…literally!  I thought for sure he had chomped on her and my heart sunk.  Thankfully he was on leash and I was able to pull him off.  The owners were out for dinner but the upstairs apartment neighbour was home and he came to help me out.  He picked up Ebony and inspected her for damage.  I was sure there would be blood, but nope…not a scratch on her.  Heffay had managed to grab her tail feathers only…pulling them ALL out.  Feathers were EVERYWHERE!  But, she was ok. 

I can tell you, I wasn’t looking forward to talking to the owners once they returned from dinner.   “Hi…so my dog almost killed the chicken…again!”😳 Thankfully the owners were again very gracious.  He actually apologized for leaving her out like that and not letting me know.  Phew! That said, Dan was still convinced we were going to be asked to leave because of Heffay. Two incidents in such a short time.  He was so convinced that we even started to scope out different RV spots as a backup.  

Before (left) and After (right)
= A not so Happy chicken
OR 
= A chicken that’s happy to still be alive! 😋

By the end of the first week in our new spot, everyone had settled in.  Gizmo wasn’t hiding in his safe spot anymore.  He happily joined his brother hanging out with us on the bed again.

The boys in their happy place 

Gizmo and Heffay relaxing on our pad

Now that we’ve been here a couple months, Gizmo has become very brave.  The 1 acre yard is completely fenced and when I take HeyZeus for his daily walks throughout the property Gizmo now follows us 🥰 Of course, if he hears a loud noise or if the owners dogs come out barking he’ll bolt back to the RV for the protection of dad, but otherwise he’s happy as can be.  He too likes to visit the chicken.  I watch him with a huge smile on my face as he stalks the chicken in slow motion.  Then, as soon as she turns around and looks at him he bounces up and changes direction.  In my head I can hear him saying “I wasn’t doin nuthin”.  He’s such a happy cat, along with his brother HZ. 

The boys visit the chicken everyday.  I think she likes it!  
No clucking or fuss…she just walks around with them.

Gizmo surveying the chicken’s yard.  
He also loves to rub up and scratch on the trunk of this orange tree.

Such a brave boy, all the way on the other side of the property.
He’s looking back toward the house, checking to see if the dogs are about to come out

This property is fantastic for walking the boys.  I definitely wouldn’t be comfortable walking HZ on the roads outside the property with all the loose dogs. Some are friendly but most are quite aggressive and territorial.  I’m sure they’d charge if they saw me walking a cat.

“Hi mom, whatcha doin?”

All the cats love to lie down in the bed of fallen blooms under this row of bougainvilleas.
The “playground” bully HeyZeus isn’t allowed though 😉 

HeyZeus loves his walks, but he has decided he should be the alpha male of the property.  The owners have two cats Tommy Boy and Miss Kitty.  Tommy is a big grey tabby while Miss Kitty is an old girl with black and white colouring.  The upstairs apartment neighbours also have a cat named Smokey.  All these cats are out and about on the property at any given time.  HeyZeus’ main focus for his walks is finding the other cats.  Unfortunately, he’s not a nice boy….he stalks and charges at them.  I figure he likes the property as much as we do and he’s trying to make it known it’s his…not theirs.  Tommy Boy is a Mexican cat, you can see that he’s a tough guy but also a big sweetie.  He often terrorizes the apartment neighbours cat but when he sees HeyZeus he bolts into the house.  I guess HZ has left an impression…he does have quite a voice so along with stalking him he howls and yells whenever I let him get close to Tommy.  On one occasion Tommy came around a corner and surprised me, HZ saw him instantly and pounced…the fur was flying!  And, once again Dan flagged …”we better find a backup place to stay” 😛.  I was able to pull HZ off before any damage was done.  As he’s made it known he’s not interested in making friends with the other cats, I do my best to steer him clear of them while we’re out on our walks. 

The owner frequently asks me “you don’t think he’ll be ok off leash”?  Absolutely not!  Dan suggested we try one day and as soon as he was “free” he bolted from me, determined to get as far as he could.  He’s just too curious and adventurous.  He’s even shown me how easy it is for him to scale the 6 foot fence.  He climbs it with no problem at all.  Of course, each time he’s tried that he’s been on leash so I’ve gotten him down.  Although I’m sure he would know where we are, returning safely would be questionable.  There are many loose street dogs, cactus and of course people who are very keen to “see” this beautiful unique cat.  There are many posts on the local Facebook groups of people whose cats have gone “missing” and many of them are the more exotic looking types of cats.  Absolutely not worth the risk and stress.  He has more than enough to explore throughout this enormous yard and I’m happy to take him on regular supervised walks. 

HeyZeus watching Miss Kitty from the other side of a short stone wall.  
She has no interest in him, she can see that look in his eyes!

The property is located in the “Ranchitos” section of San Carlos and backs up to some beautiful hills and hiking trails.  Heffay and I have started taking short hikes in the afternoon as the sun starts to set.  It’s a peaceful and beautiful place to walk.  Much more peaceful than walking along the residential area.  I laugh because Dan always knows when I’m on my way back by the increasing volume of dogs barking as we walk by each property.  Pretty much everyone here has at least 2 dogs and they are ALL very protective of their properties.  There are a few loose dogs too, which always make me a bit nervous but when I see them I try and walk the opposite direction.  With Heffay so big, these smaller dogs often feel the need to assert their dominance and although he’s quite docile, I know if they were to charge he’d cause some definite damage.  

A good shot to show you the terrain north of the Ranchitos

Up the hills we go

Now that’s one happy dog! 💗 

Such a beautiful dog inside and out
And bonus, the moon high in the sky!

On our last walk he picked up some cactus spurs 😢 I have no idea where they came from, I keep him on leash so that I can keep him on the dirt road as much as possible.  He does veer off the path but only when I ensure there are no hazards.  I’ve heard of jumping cactus, so maybe that’s what these were.  They were about the size of a gobstopper and they landed on the top of his paw.  Thankfully, at the time it happened I had just passed another person walking his dogs.  He stopped to help me.  While I held Heffay’s paw he took two stones and used them to pull off the spiked cactus spurs.  There’s no way I could have done that on my own with the way Heffay was moving around.  Lesson learned, now I carry tweezers with me.  Heffay was really good all considering, he was uncomfortable but he knew we were going to help him so he relaxed and let us do it.  

Now that we’ve been here two months, everyone is nicely settled into their new surroundings and our daily routines. It really is the perfect place for pets.  We love to see the furry beasts so happy 💕 

No caption needed 🥰 

Our home for the winter

On Sunday October 29, 2023 we pulled into San Carlos where we decided to stay for this winter.  We found an amazing location through one of the various Facebook groups we follow.  We’re staying at a private residence owned by an older American couple.  They live on the 1 acre property where they have a home with three 50 amp RV spots as well as an apartment and a one bedroom casita they rent out.

The view from the roof of the main house and our spot along the road when we first arrived

The property is stunning, it is like living in a park.  There are many beautiful vibrant bougainvillea bushes, enormous organ pipe cactus, orange trees and of course palm trees a plenty.  The property is fully fenced and the owners love animals so it is not only a wonderful place for us to call home for the winter, it is a haven for our animals who can run free off leash (well, sometimes….more to come on that in another post 😉)

Our spot along the fence with all the cat tents out.  
Lots of room.  A large concrete pad for the RV and pavers for our outside living area.  
SO much nicer than grass or dirt!

One of the two huge organ pipe cactus on the property

Beautiful landscaping
I love the vibrant colours of the flowering plants
This is the second huge organ pipe cactus on the property

Beautiful mural painted on the side of the garage

The main house where the owners live

View from the rooftop looking down into one corner of the property

When we arrived we had asked to be in the spot close to the road because of the shade tree in the corner and the bushes along the fence.  Within the first week we realized the second spot was a better fit.  Primarily because of road noise and wandering dogs on the road.  The noise and dogs were freaking poor Gizmo out and we wanted him to be comfortable.  Although all the three RV spots had been reserved, we were the first to arrive and the other people coming hadn’t requested a specific spot so we were good to move.  

Our new and permanent spot …moving over one toward the main house
The concrete pad is double the width AND we have even more room on the other side of the RV.  
The driver side has access to a smaller fully fenced yard with orange trees in it.  

Tons more additional room on this side….we have it all to ourselves!

Heffay looking out to the smaller private fenced yard from the comfort of his bed ❤️ 

The move turned out to be a great idea.  It got us off the road and away from the noise and dogs wandering the street but also gave us much more room as a bonus.  The best part though was that by moving it helped Gizmo to relax which was the primary reason we moved in the first place. 🥰 

We sure found a beautiful spot.  The owners are great people and the property is perfect!  They have reliable 50 amp power (which isn’t all that common in Mexico), an endless supply of water, a perfect little laundry room with a residential size washer and dryer and a clothesline, fast internet (at times) and they provide 5 gallon water jugs and a Firestick that has endless TV channels, subscription channels and movies ALL included for $450 US.  PLUS, it’s located away from the numerous event centres located closer to the main road, so it’s quiet.  Well, quiet except for the numerous dogs barking at times.  But, more on that in a future post.

All in all, we are very happy to be spending the winter in this new location.

Day 15 - Sunday October 29, 2023 Crossing into Mexico

We left the KOA early at 7:00 a.m. Our departure was seamless.  The night before we left we sprayed under the large living room slide with WD 40 dry lube in hopes it would help it from getting hung up again like it did in Twin Falls.  Thankfully, that worked, but there is definitely some reinforcement we’ll do via adding additional rollers to the slide once we’re back home. I also purchased our Mexican auto insurance for the RV and for the truck online through Lewis & Lewis again.  I like to have it purchased and copies printed out well before we cross into MX.   

We left much earlier than normal with the hope that we might get all the way to our final destination in San Carlos without having to overnight at a truck stop.  It is doable but totally depends on how long it takes at the border and at the Banjercito where we have to stop to get our tourist visas.  Our hosts this year told us that the day before, on Saturday other guests of theirs were stuck waiting in line at the Banjercito for 2.5 hours.  We really hoped that didn’t happen to us.  We had that experience last year when we pulled in right behind a tour bus.  All the folks on the bus got into line before us and it was hours waiting in line. 

Per usual, Heffay took up his regular spot in between us in the cab.  I’m amazed he still fits in that small space!  At times it doesn’t look all that comfortable, but he’s happy.  And HeyZeus too makes his way up to hang out and help with navigation at times.  They’re such great travellers!

Heffay STILL fits in between us in the cab!  

Our navigator is sleeping on the job!

Before crossing the border we made a quick fuel stop to fill up.  Fuel is cheaper in the US than in Mexico.  Mexico’s fuel prices are very similar (albeit slightly cheaper) to the prices we pay in British Columbia.  

We arrived at the Nogales truck crossing border at 8:30.  It seems odd as you drive through and around many buildings and booths that look like you should stop at.  In fact, the checkpoint where they check your passport and ask about your intentions is another 15 minutes down the road.  

We arrived at the checkpoint by 8:45 and were through by 8:55.  This year the Marine who greeted us at the checkpoint spoke pretty good English.  He asked Dan to get out of the RV, open the truck we were towing behind us and then asked to open the RV to come inside.  Of course Heffay was right at the door with me holding him.  He had his border crossing face on, aka on high alert lol!  Dan was quick to tell the guards to keep their hands down at their sides and not to raise them up as Heffay reacts to that as a threat.  The Marine’s face went a bit white and even though Dan assured him Heffay would be fine, he stopped in his tracks.  Next thing he said was “you’re a veteran?” which Dan confirmed and then he waved us on, no need to board us after all!  I guess a big rottweiler puts a bit of fear into them…not worth it to take the risk.

You know your’e in Mexico when…
Always interesting vendors along the road

We reached the Bancerjito by 9:00 a.m.  There was no line so we walked right in.  By 9:15 we were back in the RV on our way to San Carlos.  Yahoo!

This year, because we’re staying in the “free zone” in the state of Sonora we don’t need to get a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) for the truck.   That saves some time (and money). The RV has a 10 year TIP already on it, valid for another 7 years.  It isn’t needed for where we’re staying this year either.  We may decide to cancel it on the way out of MX this year.  Then, if/when we need one again if we decide to drive further south, we can just apply for a new 10 year TIP.  I have a feeling though that San Carlos is going to be our go-to winter destination again. 

The Sonora “Free Zone” is also referred to as the “hassle free zone”.  It extends to kilometer 98, southeast of Empalme, where the Free Zone ends (see map).

Knowing where the zone ends is critical: Crossing out of the Free Zone without a vehicle permit is illegal and can lead to the confiscation of your vehicle. And, if your immigration paperwork is not in order, you could be escorted out of the country or taken to an immigration detention center until your condition of stay is sorted out. The fines involved for getting your vehicle out of impound are often more than the vehicle is worth.

The roads from Nogales to San Carlos are pretty good.  They’re mostly concrete roads and although at times they look smooth they can be what I’d describe as wavy.  They’re not always flat and sometimes you feel as though you’re on a wave up and down and side to side.  That said, they are like driving on a red carpet when it compares to the roads once you get into the state of Sinaloa.  No thanks!

Beautiful day, clear and smooth albeit “wavy” roads!

The road coming into San Carlos
Iconic Tetakawi on the horizon

At 2 p.m. after four tolls and 7 hours we arrived at our final destination in San Carlos and what a BEAUTIFUL spot!  More to come on this property and our time in San Carlos in future posts.

Our spot, one of three RV pads rented on this private property

Summary day 15 The FINAL leg of our trip

Tucson/Lazydays KOA, AZ to San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico

Departure Time - 7:00 a.m.

Arrival Time - 2:00 p.m.

MX Tolls -  4

Toll Cost: $843 pesos ($65 Cdn)

    1 - $200 pesos ($15 Cdn)

    2 - $85 pesos ($7 Cdn)

    3 - $260 pesos ($20 Cdn)

    4 - $298 pesos ($23 Cdn)

Total distance driven - 385 miles

Cost of Tourist Visas (FMM) - $1374 pesos ($105 Cdn) for both

Cost of 6 mos of Mexican RV and Truck Insurance - $1035 US ($1417 Cdn) & $270 US ($375 Cdn) 

Fuel - $300 US ($416 Cdn) 64 gallons @ $4.679/g (or approx $1.66/litre Cdn)

Accommodation - $450 US/month (approx $640 Cdn incl. bank fees)

Day 8 to 14 - Sun Oct 22 to Sat Oct 29, 2023

Thankfully Sunday was an easy day as we made our way to Tucson for a nice seven night rest.  We left the rest area at 9:00 a.m. then stopped at a Walmart along the way to pick up some groceries before arriving at the Tucson/Lazydays KOA just before 3 p.m.  

We had a couple instances of the engine light coming on briefly when we stopped for a rest on the way to Tucson and again briefly once we parked the RV in our spot.  This time Dan was able to successfully clear the fault code using the Blue Fire app.

Our spot at the Tucson/Lazydays KOA

Temps in Tucson were HOT 🥵 at 34 ºC and the way the RV was oriented put the hot afternoon sun on the door side.  Late afternoon temperature readings on that side of the RV were close to 50 ºC ☀️ I actually had to put a small piece of reflective bubble insulation on the outside black metal door handle so that we wouldn’t burn ourselves opening the door.  We also parked the truck in the shade of the RV to keep the inflatable boat shielded from the hot afternoon sun.  We didn’t get any flack from anyone about that thankfully.  The sites are pretty big and we were technically still in our site even with the truck on the opposite side.

Everyone settled in now that the slides are all open

Heffay loves his “pig”…we fill it with his dog food as a fun treat for him.  
As you can see, he often brings it to me to ask for it to be filled 

Happy Halloween!
Lots of decorations and fun events for families to celebrate

Our week was restful with minimal shopping other than a fair size Costco run near to the end of the week and a few Amazon purchase.  Amazon truly does deliver everywhere!!  We spent time relaxing in the pool and taking HeyZeus and Heffay for regular walks.  Heffay loves the huge 1 acre fenced dog park, and had fun playing with many new dogs.  He even made friends with a little boy.  That was a nice surprise. Since last year he hadn’t been a fan of kids.  It was nice to see him relaxing around a child. The temperatures all week were very hot, in the low 30’s each day but evenings cooled down nicely to 18 or so.  

There was one thing we noticed more this year and that was the noise.  There is quite a bit of noise from jets flying above and train horns.  The KOA is surrounded by 2-3 air force bases and it was apparent they did practice runs every morning during the weekdays starting at around 7 or 8 a.m.  It took poor Gizmo some time to get used to that loud noise.  He eventually did so long as we reassured him everything was ok.  The other noise was from train horns blowing as they crossed intersections nearby.  We were able to get used to the noise pretty easily, but it did stress poor Gizmo out. Oh, and I almost forgot about one other loud event….there was a huge storm that rolled in one afternoon.  The skies went black and the rain POURED down in buckets.  It was incredibly loud in the RV for the 10 minutes or so that it lasted.  Poor Gizmo returned to his hiding spot during that brief storm.   I’m pretty sure he was happy when we pulled out of there 😉 

Beautiful pools at the KOA

The GIZMO!!! 💕 Finally out from his hiding/safe spot 😊 

Such a sweet boy he is 🥰 

Gizmo and his big brother
A great spot for a new cat tree, up in the bunk over the cab - looking out across the park

I have to say, as much as we enjoy our time at the Tucson/Lazydays KOA and as GREAT a deal it was (65% off regular price), next year I’m pretty sure we’ll take only a couple days rest before crossing into MX.  I say that now after being here for over a month in this BEAUTIFUL spot in San Carlos.  More on that in the next post 😉 

Summary day 8-14 Hassayampa Rest Area, Wickenburg, AZ to Tucson/Lazydays KOA, AZ

Departure Time - 9:00 a.m.

Arrival Time - 3:00 p.m.

Total distance driven -189 miles

Fuel - Did not fill

Accomodation - 7 nights at Tucson/Lazydays KOA $295 US ($405 Cdn) *I reserved during a promotion period giving us 65% off the regular price - great deal!

Day 7 - Saturday October 21, 2023

By 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning after the BEST sleep at the Alien Research Center, we were back on the road.  Unfortunately, we were still having issues with our Solis hot spot which frustrated me to no end. I just couldn’t get it to connect even though I tried resetting it numerous times.  So frustrating…but not the worst thing that would happen to us that day.  The worst thing happened a few hours later when a yellow check engine light came on. 

Right away we wondered if it was the Diesel Exhaust Fluid system (DEF) again.  We had just been climbing some steep inclines and the engine was working hard.   Although the light was on, every gauge was reading normal, both in the dashboard and through the BlueFire.  The BlueFire plugs into the engine computer and provides real time engine monitoring through an app you load on your tablet or iPad.   

At the first available spot we pulled over to let the engine cool and to check everything over.  It also gave me a chance to pull out my iPad and connect to the open WiFi at the fuel station, to see if I could fix the Solis hot spot.  Miraculously, I was able to get the Solis working again which was a relief as we would need it to help navigate us toward the closest Freightliner service center.  Turns out it wasn’t an issue with the Solis at all.  It was an issue with the iPhone not connecting to it’s WiFi.  I discovered that when I wasn’t able to connect to the open WiFi at the fuel station via the iPhone but I was with the iPad.  Very odd.  Oh well, at least that got resolved.

Rather than wait for a technician to come to us, we rolled the dice and decided to drive toward the Velocity truck center in Kingman, Arizona. Velocity seems to be the only Freightliner warranty service centers in the lower US from what we can gather.  After letting the engine cool, taking Heffay for a brief walk and having some lunch we started up the RV and got back on the road.  The yellow engine light came back on again but otherwise all systems were working fine and gauges registered in range. 

The BlueFire adaptor plugs into the RV computer.  
Through an app you can see any number of different gauges from your engine (sample pic)

Kingman wasn’t our planned route, but circumstances dictated this new direction.  Our heading was now across some more steep terrain via the notorious potholed Arizona highways.  By 3:45 we arrived at the Velocity truck center in Kingman, AZ.  Given our experience last year at the Velocity truck centre in Phoenix, we didn’t have much faith they’d be able to do anything to help us, especially on a Saturday.  All we really wanted was for them to plug into the engine and read the fault codes to tell us why the light was on.  As suspected they weren’t able to help us do that.  The earliest they could do that would be Monday, two days later.  BUT they did suggest we stop at a Love’s travel centre nearby to see if they could assist.  We had no idea they had the equipment to plug into the engine to read codes.  Sure enough we found the Love’s and they helped us out free of charge!  The code indeed had to do with the DEF system again.  Specifically a DEF tank sensor error…go figure we had JUST had the DEF header replaced when we got home from our snowbird trip last year.  SO FRUSTRATING!  That said, the technician was able to clear the code, the yellow light went off and we were able to continue on our way. 

Love’s service center, in the rear of the Love’s truck stop

We SHOULD have just ended our day in Kingman, but there were still a few hours until sunset so we decided to push on.  That turned out to be not such a great idea.  Our route took us through Wickenburg which was under heavy construction with one lane, windy roads with sharp turns and speeds of 25 mph.  

We’d pushed the drive too long, especially given the stress of the engine light being on for 1/2 the day.  We thought our day was over when we pulled into the “Horspitality RV park”.  We’d never stayed there, and were pleasantly surprised when we pulled into the park.  At first glance it appeared to be a nice park with what looked like quite a few long term residents.  We stopped at the office, but it had just closed.  I noticed a “night registration” box, but when I opened it there was nothing in it.  We’d seen two pull through spots right at the entrance so figured we’d pull in while I tried to call the office number.  Well, we didn’t get a chance to even pick up the phone before a rude man came banging on the door.  I thought “great, there’s someone we can talk to about staying the night”….yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.  He proceeded to give me a lecture about how “nobody comes in after 5pm” (hmm…wonder why they have a night registration box?) and that he’d already called his boss and his boss “wants you out”.  He then proceeded to walk away, said “thank you” and “next time make a reservation”.  I was quick to tell him he didn’t have to worry about a “next time” as we’d never consider making a reservation after that rude encounter.  Some people….sheesh! So, on we went, being sure to give them a nice loud blow of the air horn “goodbye” as we pulled out.  Jerk!  I now refer to name of that RV park with a different horse reference…you guess what that is.  Here’s a hint… 

Just as the sun set and darkness was falling, we pulled into the Hassayampa Rest Area which was just a few minutes down the road.  We’d stayed there once before on a previous trip.  It’s quite small, but can fit 3-4 RV’s pretty comfortably.  Only one other RV was there when we pulled in.  It was a quiet night and we slept well.

The next day, we’d be in Tucson for a nice seven day rest at the Tucson/Lazydays KOA.

Summary day 7 Alien Research Station - Hiko, AZ to Hassayampa Rest Area, Wickenburg, AZ

Departure Time - 8:30 a.m.

Arrival Time - 6:00 p.m.

Total distance driven -383 miles

Fuel - $200 US ($274 Cdn) 40 gal @ $4.999/g

Accommodation - $0