Sept 3

First wifi access since I left Tucson on Sept 20th.

Got up at 3.30 and headed out of town. Got to the Flying J in Eloy about 5am and had breakfast, which immediately tore up my stomach. Mind you, I only ate one bite of the greasy sausage, so it was the eggs, english muffin, or hashbrowns that did it. Or the bad coffee. Or the combo.

Hung out and dozed for a couple of hours. Got the rig washed at a truck wash place that had a sign We Wash RVs. It looks good. I think they were taken aback at my little rig -- their idea of RVs is probably monster Class A's (buses) or huge 5th wheels. But they did it and I had a Rain-X treatment put on the windows and other rubber. $27.50. Worth it.

Pulled in to the Picacho Peak DQ Plaza about 10am. It's obviously been here a while and isn't very upscale. I'll take some pictures eventually. Met Chuck, who got suddenly promoted to manager about 3 months ago, as the couple who were doing it weren't working out. They're now demoted and being given a second chance at the Plaza across the street (same company). Chuck's wife, Zelia (Zee), doesn't work. Next to the commercial area (store, Dairy Queen, gas/convenience store) is a compound with a few trailers and a few RV spots. One of the trailers is empty and is used as our laundry; I think it'll be my shower room, too (there's no hot water but that's okay). Local water isn't fit to drink (assorted weird chemicals plus arsenic traces) so bottled water is trucked in for us. There's no TV cable but I've managed to pull in several Phoenix stations with my antenna. I need to put on that antenna extender thingy I got and see whether it really works.

There's also no wifi!! The store has a satellite link but it's a dedicated company line. This is not acceptable; something will have to be done. I'm going to try my cellphone company and see whether they have a plan so I can connect the phone to the laptop and get a usable signal that way. Or I'll call a local ISP and see about signing up. Must have internet!!

I chose the one RV spot that has a tree on the west side, right next to Chuck and Zee's 5th wheel. He was a Budget Rent-a-car franchisee in San Diego but the economy bottomed them out, so they're now fulltime RV-ers. I need to get some of that quilted foil stuff and make window shades, tire shades, water hose shades, etc. The AC in the cabin has been on high since I got set up and came inside to hole up for the rest of the day. I got out the little fan to stir the air around better. I also discovered that not only is I-10 on one side of us, but a train track is on the other. A true garden spot, god wot.

I'm starting work at noon tomorrow. I think it's going to be fine. Chuck seems nice and has a good attitude.