So, we had three nights in Los Wages - did not have our usual luck, sadly. But we saw Spiky and Mr. Bugger, and Munchkin and Jeff,
The morning we left Vegas was a bit more eventful than I had planned. First, some work came up for which I needed to do research, and contact people at work, all while trying to get ready to decamp, shower, and then wash dishes, before Charles dumped the grey and black wastewater tanks.
When I finished the dishes, all of a sudden I smelled something terrible - apparently, our gauges for how full the wastewater tanks are, are not working - it backed up into the shower stall, fouling all the stuff we had stored in there - the hamper full of dirty clothes, bags of extra "just in case" stuff, including medicines that I store in a canvas bag because I don't want to leave them in the rig between trips, the broom, Swiffer mop and extra mop head, and some empty canvas and cloth bags. OMG the smell! Had to carry it out of the rig without dripping on the floor, rinse everything out in the park's bathroom sink and shower stall (thank goodness for that!),repack all the wet stuff and figure out how to stow it until we reach our next stop with washing machines (we had a vinyl mat that we laid in the trunk area of the Jeep and put the hamper full of wet, still fragrant stuff on top of it, and left the windows in the Jeep cracked to let the smell escape. Washed out the shower stall, called the front desk that we would be a little late leaving the campground (it was OK), and then re-emptied the tanks after we washed all the mess out. UGH!
While I was doing the dishes, Charles had hooked up the Jeep by himself - and then the shit almost literally hit the fan. When it was cleaned up, we checked the lights on the Jeep to make sure they were working with the RV lights, and then discovered that the automatic door lock on the Jeep wasn't working (turned out to be user error though). More distraction. We finally hit the road, driving about 4 miles down a main street to the freeway, and about 3 more miles on the freeway when Charles suddenly asked if I had noticed whether he had released the emergency brake on the Jeep - I had not. He pulled over to the side of the freeway, I hopped out and discovered the brake was still engaged (and the Jeep now smells of spoiled food, poop and roasted brake). Released it and we were back on our way.
The drive to the campground just off I-40 south of AZ 64 (45 miles south of the Grand Canyon) should have taken 4 hours. It took 6 - for 14 miles, we were in stop and stop traffic - FOR NO REASON WE EVER SAW! So we got to the campground as the sun was setting, set up, and thank goodness they had a coin op laundry facility - washed all the yuk out of our clothes, canvas bags and Swiffer mop-heads. Made dinner in the rig and watched Game 1 of the World Series (Go Giants!).
In the morning, we unhoo ked the Jeep and drove up to the Grand Canyon (the campground said we could leave the RV in the site, since they weren't very busy). We only had a couple of hours to re-visit the places we already had seen and have lunch, but it was beautiful - the Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen, and the photo doesn't even begin to do it justice:
We got back to the campground at about 3:30, hooked up and headed for Sedona.
It is 62 miles to Sedona - except both the campground we were headed to and the RV-specific GPS we have indicated an 89 mile route instead - saying on I-17 and going past Sedona and then back up a different road, rather than the shortcut through the mountains. All I can say is, if the interstate was the BETTER route, I would HATE to see what the switchbacks on the state road were like - 6% grade down for miles and miles. This was followed by 14 miles of roundabouts until we got into Sedona.
The campground here is lovely - but by the time we got here at sunset, it was too late for my BFF from high school who had been expecting us earlier - so we just hunkered down and ate leftovers from the night before. I haven't seen her in too many years, and I know she is a very earlier riser and early-to-bedder, so that was fine.
This morning I had an 8 AM conference call with Slovakia (!!) and a bit of other work. My friend, who has become an Episcopalian vicar since we last saw each other (!?!) had to write a sermon in the AM, so when she arrived at the campgound at 11:45, I was just getting ready for a visit. Charles, unfortunately, has NOT been feeling better - the stress of the drive down I-17 on top of the rest of what he's done has exhausted him, so we left him to rest at the RV, while we went out to lunch and caught up on (goodness, 7 years since we last saw each other??), and then after bringing Charles some lunch, spent the rest of the afternoon at her FABULOUS home that used to be a Tibetan monastery overlooking the spectacular scenery of Sedona (this place is fucking beautiful, in a deserty sort of way!).
We are now relaxing for the evening - Charles decided we should stay an extra night so he can recuperate a bit more.
Here we are - sorry it's so big - I wish there was a way of shrinking it a bit!
and drinking alcohol makes me sweat. Watching Game 4 of the World Series - GO GIANTS!
