So this year, using my phone as a mobile hotspot, a.k.a. Mobile
Command Center, makes the entire blog process so much easier. I can type up my journal anywhere because
that just requires my computer but looking things up and posting online
requires internet. I didn’t even try to
get online in Quartzsite using the campground wireless so I don’t know how
strong the signal was…I used the Mobile Command Center. I do have experience with the Picacho
signal…it was strongest up by the office/clubhouse and non-existent in the
campsites. If I did anything online
during the day, I would sit in the clubhouse.
However, after closing time at 7 p.m., I had to take all my gear up to sit
outside the clubhouse on a bench or in one of the two little shelters nearby
that received a signal. The little
shelters were kind of creepy after dark but they have outlets so at least I
could plug my computer in…the bench area does not have outlets. The air cools after
sundown and the lighting is only bright enough so that a person didn’t have to
walk to the bathroom in the dark. And it
attracts the bugs. Nope, not the best of
circumstances, but it’s what I had the last two years. But
this year will be different. Last night
I sat in the trailer with good lighting, the heater on, music playing, with no
bugs in sight to do whatever I had to do online. The Mobile Command Center has certainly
changed my way of doing technology while camping.👍
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Started our day by taking
a bike ride on the road beside the campground.
There are a couple of other nearby paved roads that we may investigate
in the future, but until my legs get used to pedaling again, where we rode
today will be just fine for me. We’re doing
it for exercise not exploration.
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We both had reasons to go
into town today…not only did he want to find a car wash, he also needed to stop
at the hardware store…I wanted to stop at the grocery store. In fact, I think I
was begging/demanding that we go there for some of those delicious ‘little
piggy’ cookies. Well, there were other
grocery items we needed but the little piggy cookies were at the top of the
list. Alas, they didn’t have any little piggy cookies…but a slighter
larger version was available. Not a problem…in fact, I think I’ll take two
bags. Oh, and I'll get a bag of these Mexican pastries also.😊 While the piggies look like a molasses cookie
and taste a bit milder, I couldn’t find molasses in the ingredient list. Huh…interesting. Anyway, I know I’ll be going back to the
store for more when these are gone…I’ve waited a whole year for this. 😋
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The lock we had on the
inside of the trailer door has become problematic to use…it had to be jiggled
just so for the slider thing to fit into the hole. As we witnessed in Quartzsite, we thought it
caught but it didn’t and the door came open during the early morning
hours. So we wanted something a little
more secure but we’re not talking a normal house door here so Kim had to get a
little creative in solving the problem…but no problem, that’s one of his many
talents. Took him an hour or so this
afternoon and knowing our door will not randomly swing open at night is a
source of comfort.
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The little town of Eloy continues to intrigue
me. As I’ve said before the town
infrastructure speaks of an influx of money…Main Street is wide and in good
shape (40 steps wide because I counted as I crossed), the buildings look new or
in good repair, a good many of those buildings house government
services/programs, there is a maintained ball field on one end of town,
etc. But the residential areas don’t
reflect the look and care of Main Street…and the people coming and going about
town don’t look to be the source of the city upgrades. While Kim was at the car wash, I walked to
the post office. On my way back, I
stopped to talk to a couple having lunch in the park. I mentioned the apparent
money spent on the infrastructure, that I knew there was a privately run prison
facility nearby and asked if the company running the prison was responsible for the upgraded
look. They thought that yes, prison
money was involved and by the way, there are four facilities, not just one.
There are no big box
stores in Eloy but the town fills most of our needs. The bigger towns of Casa Grande and Coolidge
are both about 20 miles away if we can’t find what we need in Eloy.
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After Kim fixed the lock
we headed out for a bike ride. The
frontage road on the other side of US 10 that we usually take into Eloy is
being worked on, so there’s a detour.
Found a road on the detour that I’d not noticed before…it was paved so
we decided to explore. Since it was my
idea, Kim wanted me to lead which is not my favorite thing to do but I got out
front anyway. Turns out it’s just
another way to get into Eloy without using the freeway. Got gas and from there we had no particular
destination in mind…we were just going to ride around. Kim still wanted me to lead so I decided to
see what I could learn about the navigation screen on my bike. I’ve been hesitant to use it because that’s
what caused my music controls to go wonkers last year…I like being about to
make choices about what I listen to when I ride and didn’t want to screw it up
again. But figuring out a piece of
technology won out over having control over the music, so I pushed the ‘Nav’
function button. What I immediately liked
is that I can put it on ‘Map’ and make my route choices based on what I’m
seeing. It also has a ‘Where to’
function which will give audible turn by turn directions if I want to be bossed
around by the mechanical lady. There are 4 other functions I didn’t play with
yet. Thankfully there weren’t any
glitches in the system this time....both navigation and music were working fine
when I parked the bike tonight. That’s
probably due to the software update done when my bike was serviced this winter.
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The Bakker camping
experience got a little more interesting...a little more real…a little more
off-the-grid today. In the corner of the
trailer there is a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat on it! Kim couldn’t find what he wanted in Eloy or
Arizona City; our ride this afternoon took us through Casa Grande and he found
what he was looking for in the camping section of a farm store. You see, this
bucket doesn’t have just any random toilet seat sitting on it….it has a toilet
seat made specifically for a 5 gallon bucket!!
Who knew there were such things? I
certainly didn’t but apparently Kim did. Now we have an official on-board
bathroom!! Since it is literally a
bucket in the corner, a towel can always be hoisted for visual privacy…no
remedy for audible privacy, though. 😏 For
now it’s a nighttime thing…we'll use the campground bathroom during the
day. But we’re one step closer to being totally
rustic campers. 😎
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Bicycle miles today: 5.1
Bike miles today: 58
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