Hail yes! The Laredo has landed in Tucson

Welcome to frigid northern Arizona

It took just 2 ½ hours to drive from Gallup, New Mexico to pick up our trailer in Flagstaff. The owners of the storage lot had warned its customers that a pretty significant hailstorm had hit the area back in the fall and that some units had suffered damage. So we have been waiting with some anticipation to see what, if any damage had been done to the Laredo from the storm.

As we pulled into the lot I immediately noticed that two of the skylights on top of the trailer appeared damaged. One of them was actually smash to pieces, but fortunately no big windows or other damage appeared from the ground. We’re waiting for an RV repairman in the park to show up so I can get on the roof and inspect a little closer.

San Francisco peaks near Flagstaff come into view

It does not appear than any significant water came into the trailer and even better, the mouse prevention efforts I took last spring seem to have worked as there was no evidence of small visitors this time when we got into the trailer.

As we were hooking up the trailer a flight of 15-20 military helicopters flew over which was kind of cool to watch.

It took about 40 minutes to look over the trailer, transfer some weight from the back end of the car to the back end of the trailer (luggage and other supplies) to balance the load. It takes a few minutes to remove the tire skirts and then put together the towing apparatus but we were soon back on the road.

Only briefly though as one of my mirror extensions broke loose and I had to pull to the side of the freeway to remove it and we continued on our journey without, being extra cautious in making lane changes because of the slightly reduced visibility.

Fueling up for the final push to Tucson

Except for some unexpected heavy traffic through Phoenix about 2 p.m. the trip down the mountain was uneventful. There is one major grade south of Sedona that always poses a challenge with the big trailer but we made it up and over the hill in good order.

Before I get too far from the beginning of the day let me just advise on what I think should be the etiquette for using a hotel luggage cart. The very nice Gallup hotel we stayed in has three large luggage carts in its stable. Unfortunately in the morning three impolite guests decided they would take the carts to their rooms and hoard them while the rest of us were left without. I know this because I waited an extremely long time for just one of them to return and they never did until after I pretty much loaded the car, making two extra trips to haul down our luggage, the dirty laundry, the computer satchels and finally one heavy duty and weighty 12-volt trailer battery. I take the battery up to the room to keep it from freezing overnight. I need it to work when we arrive at the trailer so I can lift and lower the tongue of the trailer with the electric tongue stand.

Welcome to our Arizona home!

So here’s the advice: If you need a luggage cart the rule should be that you are packed up and ready to leave before you take the cart. Then, and only then, should you head to the lobby to retrieve the cart, take it to your room, load it and head down to your car. This should take no more than 5 minutes thereby keeping the carts available for other guests to use.

On the way down the mountain from Flagstaff we listened to the last two installment CDs of the “Wild” book that we listened to across the country. I have mixed feelings on the book, but generally enjoyed the hiking narrative.

When we started out from Flagstaff the temperature was 42 and had risen to 75 by the time we arrived in the parking lot commonly known as Phoenix.

Our spot, same as last year

The Tahoe – or “Shadow Beast” – as the granddaughter refers to it groaned a little when we started out, but performed really, really well. In breaking the truck in for towing you are supposed to keep the speeds to around a maximum of 50 mph. that is a little difficult to do when you are plummeting down a 6 percent grade for 1,000 feet.

In fact on the straight and level it was hard to keep the truck under 60 mph. The winds started to pick up toward the end of the journey but not nearly as badly as some of the adventures across Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle.

We arrived at the Voyager gate to be warmly greeted by “Bob” who welcomed us “Home” and arranged for our site escort to help us into our gravel strip of land that will serve as “home” for the next three months.

These are resort "limos"

Our escort was “Lee” and he was as nice as he could be and within 10 minutes the trailer was parked and high and dry on 9-197 at the Voyager RV Park, the same spot we had last year. If you reserve early you can designate your return spot for the following winter.

Since last year the trash and recycle yard which was just about 100-feet away has been moved nearly ½-mile away to the maintenance yard and we will no longer get the early morning trash truck wakeup call that we used to get. The park now offers curbside trash pickup and recycling so a major improvement over last year.

After setting up the trailer (hooking up water, cable, sewer lines, turning on the propane, etc.) we headed to the office to register. There Von again warmly welcomed us back and gave us our temporary badges until we get our pictures taken and get our more permanent plastic name tags. Joan is not a big fan of the name tags because it reminds her of having to wear her identification at work.

The new courtyard at Voyager

For most park activities you must be wearing the badges, although they don’t enforce it for trips to the bathroom, the fitness center or the restaurant, which is open to the public anyway.

After registering we headed to the Voyager Bar and Grill where we had to wait for a table. It was fish fry night and there was a school of old folks who turned out for the fish special. In previous visits the restaurant has been sparsely used, but since last year with a new cook and some renovations has become very popular here and beyond.

We only had to wait about 20 minutes for a booth and we really enjoyed the fried fish. Not as good as Blackthorn’s in Buffalo, but not many places are.

We returned to the trailer after dinner, did some more unpacking and settled in for a little TV. It’s a good think that the temperatures here are mild because we currently have the two holes in our skylights which let a lot of air into the trailer. Both skylights have screens, which were not damaged so there is not risk of anything else coming into the trailer unless it can fit through a small mesh screen.

Looking up at one of the broken skylights

I woke up early and headed to the fitness center to start my routine. I’ve gained a little more than 10 pounds since I was here in April according to the fitness center scale so the effort has begun to shed that and more during the next three months. My first hike will be Tuesday.

After working out I headed to the showers and then to the mailroom to set up our mail account and get our mailbox key. It is extremely convenient that we can receive our mail right here in the park.

While walking back from the mailroom two F-somethings took off from the local Air Force base and gave me my first “sound of freedom” moment here in the desert. My father will not be happy I don't know which F-somethings I saw, but unless it is a Lockheed Constellation my aircraft identification is severely lacking. I also ran into a couple friends from our previous visits who greeted me like a long lost favorite uncle.

Late this morning we went to Walmart to stock up on supplies. Joan, as is her custom, sent me searching for a 12 ounce can of condensed milk. Before she sent me on the mission she looked straight in my eyes, made sure she had my attention and then sent me to the “bakery” to find the can of condensed milk.

Search as I might among the packages of buns and loaves of bread I could not locate anything resembling a can of condensed milk. Sheepishly I returned to where she was in the store and said although I couldn’t remotely understand why she would send me to the bakery section to find a can of milk I at least tried without questioning.

“Not the bakery,” she said. “The baking aisle.”  Except there is no such aisle. I looked up at the array of signs announcing whatever is down an aisle and not one spoke of “baking.” 

“The baking aisle,” Joan said again. “You know where you will find flour, frosting, that kind of stuff.” Eventually she found it on her own.

Today we will shop for supplies and tonight we dance. The first of several “Reminiscence Dances” will be held in the ballroom.

Life is good.

Mileage out: (Gallup) 11059

Time out: 7:54 a.m.

Mileage in: (Flagstaff storage yard) 11257

Time in: (Flagstaff storage yard) 10:50 a.m.

Mileage out: (Flagstaff storage yard) 11257

Time out: (Flagstaff storage yard) 11:34 a.m.

Mileage in: (Voyager) 11357

Time in: 4:30 p.m. 11537