Sun 12/5

Sun 12/5 8pm pst

Started out from Eagar last Thursday at 9.30am. Good driving weather, about 58 and partly cloudy. Got to Phoenix intending to go to the Flying J at I-10 and 67th ave (on the west side). However, went the wrong way on the 202 loop and realized it when I saw I was almost to Apache Junction on the SE side.

So, got off and called Richard and Sandy to see if they were up for a visitor. Got their voicemail. Left message. Consulted map. Fought way back onto I-10 and out to the Flying J. Arrived about 5.30pm. Tired, Hungry.

Called Don Young and left message that I was on west side; got voicemail; left message. Found a message to me from Richard saying they'd love to see me. Called back and said I'd come out about 10 or 11 am tomorrow (Friday). Ate dinner in the restaurant and went to bed about 9pm; slept till 7am.

Had a little breakfast (coffee and toast) and set out back to the SE side of town. Got plugged in at Richard's, turned fridge on -- had stopped at walmart on the way and got a few staples (salad, juice, bread). Spent the day hanging with Richard as Sandy still works. I met Richard's mother, age 86 and profoundly deaf, who was an avid RV-er and envied my rig. Went inside to check it all out.

Somewhere that day, Don called and we decided to have lunch on Sat. I said I'll call you in the morning and we'll decided when and where.

That night went off with R&S to a birthday potluck for a friend. He's in some kind of motorcycle color guard outfit and the b'day group was from that outfit. Nice folk. Nearly all veterans (Richard was a career Marine Major). Pleasant evening.

Sat I called Don at 9.30am and got his voicemail. Left message that I'd be heading out at 10am for the Flying J as R&S had some biker stuff to do that morning and had to leave by 11. Didn't hear from Don. Left at 10 and headed for Flying J as I would definitely need gas by that point. Arrived at station and (1) peed and (2) called Don again and got voicemail. Sat in cab and age candy bar and drank coke for about half hour. Decided to go ahead and gas up. Had just finished and was pulling out of the lane when Don called.

Why hadn't he heard from me? He'd been home all morning. Didn't I get his message? I told him about calling and messages I'd left him, none of which he'd gotten. And now he had to, just had to, go buy dogfood and bring it home and feed his four dachshunds. And the Flying J is way west of his house, it would take 40 minutes for him to drive there. [which means, of course, that it would take me 40 min there and 40 min back to where I was].

So we agreed that the telephone gods had conspired against us. I said I'd see him next spring on my way back to NC. He said, let's all meet at Chuck's. I said, okay.

So now, it's Sat about 12 or 1. I set off for Quartzsite. About 50 miles out, I called the RVW woman who'd said she was there for the winter. She lives in a deeded lot sort of place, not a regular park, but she called a few and the prices were high. So I said thanks anyhow and kept driving to the Flying J at Ehrenberg AZ / Blythe CA. They have a WEndy's inside, not a restaurant, so I would up with a half-Baja salad and a baked potato. Not too terrible. Once again, went to bed about 8pm and slept till about 7am (6am Calif. time).