On our Way!

Packing up and getting ready was a real challenge. An artic front moved into Utah and the temperatures, normally cold, became frigid. Everything we put in the Royal Palms quickly froze, including toothpaste, dish soap, etc. We ended up running an electric heater as well as the furnace set on low for the 24 hours before we left so we could get everything loaded up. When we left Salt Lake yesterday (Monday) morning, it was 5 degrees. The roads were clear, but the icy temps continued. When we stopped in Springville, about an hour south of Salt Lake, for gas and propane, and it was even colder there. I took Ellie for a walk while Steve attended to the RV, and my lungs ached from breathing the frigid air. Our first night destination was Mesquite, NV, about an hour north of Las Vegas. We stayed in the RV Park at the Oasis Casino so we could have hook ups because that same arctic front had hit them as well--it was well below freezing during the night.
Neither of us are gamblers; I used to like to donate a few dollars to the slot machines, but now that they're all electronic, even that's no fun anymore--they are no longer "one arm bandits"--no handle to pull, you just push a button. What fun is that?

Today we drove as far as Riverside, CA. We are "camped" in the parking lot of the Fleetwood factory, free, and with hookups! Steve had arranged for us to stay here, and we are taking a tour of the factory tomorrow morning. It should be interesting to see how they build these things. Then it's on to San Diego. We initially had planned to get into Mexico tomorrow, but we are re-thinking that. There will be a lot to deal with--immigration, tourist visas, exchanging money, getting on the toll road from Tijuana to Ensenada, and finding a campground once we get to Ensedada--and we will probably be happier if we do it all when we're fresh rather than late afternoon when we're tired and cranky from California freeways.