From Wain Road North Saanich Feb 24th 2012
To: charlesblocke@aol.com, rick@werner.ca, sbrugger@shaw.ca, bharvey@xplornet.com, twebber18@hotmail.com, carolinemiege@gmail.com, darchoborne@hotmail.com, medidart@telusplanet.net, wilsondl@telus.net, ap_worrall@hotmail.com, bjmckendrick@shaw.ca, louiselocke@aol.com, gillian.wright196@gmail.com, tbwenger@gmail.com, bruce.bleakney@gmail.com, tappenkid@gmail.com, awalsh@uvic.ca, carpenter.trav@yahoo.ca, prhine@telus.net, asquin.david@gmail.com, david@bastionranch.com, jmworrall@hotmail.com, mulholland@cogeco.ca, chrisperren@hotmail.com, neil.mckendrick@shaw.ca, game1@cciwireless.ca, remora3712@shaw.ca, write2heathera@hotmail.com, topkick@telus.net, djeffrey@skircr.com, terryellott@yahoo.ca, josereineking@yahoo.ca, jimleb@telus.net, gjpercy@hotmail.com, bert.hollingshead@telus.net, ajo.gayle@gmail.com, susan.is@telus.net, dbforer2@primus.ca, jshea@skircr.com, catoborne@shaw.ca, spreader@ebtech.net, sbhoney@telus.net, louis-marc@telus.net, macdonad@telusplanet.net, mountainmamabw@gmail.com, lmichaud@telus.net, hugh.landerkin@gmail.com, rick.l.crosby@gmail.com, jherman@telusplanet.net, georgecreid@telus.net, rtouche@telus.net, don_asquin@hotmail.com, hugh.christine@gmail.com, donandbetty@shaw.ca, mhanstke@gmail.com, jeanettenicholls@shaw.ca, mlalt@shaw.ca, askofteby@gmail.com, bmoffat@goshen.ca, relliott@pei.sympatico.ca, tim_susan@hotmail.com, petznick@telus.net
| From: | John Worrall (jmworrall@hotmail.com)You moved this message to its current location. |
| Sent: | February-24-12 10:17:36 AM |
| To: | charlesblocke@aol.com; rick@werner.ca; sbrugger@shaw.ca; bharvey@xplornet.com; twebber18@hotmail.com; carolinemiege@gmail.com; darchoborne@hotmail.com; medidart@telusplanet.net; wilsondl@telus.net; ap_worrall@hotmail.com; bjmckendrick@shaw.ca; louiselocke@aol.com; gillian.wright196@gmail.com; tbwenger@gmail.com; bruce.bleakney@gmail.com; tappenkid@gmail.com; awalsh@uvic.ca; carpenter.trav@yahoo.ca; prhine@telus.net; asquin.david@gmail.com; david@bastionranch.com; jmworrall@hotmail.com; mulholland@cogeco.ca; chrisperren@hotmail.com; neil.mckendrick@shaw.ca; game1@cciwireless.ca; remora3712@shaw.ca; write2heathera@hotmail.com; topkick@telus.net; djeffrey@skircr.com; terryellott@yahoo.ca; josereineking@yahoo.ca; jimleb@telus.net; gjpercy@hotmail.com; bert.hollingshead@telus.net; ajo.gayle@gmail.com; susan.is@telus.net; dbforer2@primus.ca; jshea@skircr.com; catoborne@shaw.ca; spreader@ebtech.net; sbhoney@telus.net; louis-marc@telus.net; macdonad@telusplanet.net; mountainmamabw@gmail.com; lmichaud@telus.net; hugh.landerkin@gmail.com; rick.l.crosby@gmail.com; jherman@telusplanet.net; georgecreid@telus.net; rtouche@telus.net; don_asquin@hotmail.com; hugh.christine@gmail.com; donandbetty@shaw.ca; mhanstke@gmail.com; jeanettenicholls@shaw.ca; mlalt@shaw.ca; askofteby@gmail.com; bmoffat@goshen.ca; relliott@pei.sympatico.ca; tim_susan@hotmail.com; petznick@telus.net |
At the time of my last groupmail, I was located at Gunsight Wash BLM, near Why, not far from the Mexican border in Southern Arizona. This note comes to you from North Saanich, BC, where I sit in my mother’s house.
She has fallen ill, so I have returned to see what I can do to help and will remain here for an indefinite time.
Meanwhile, back in the desert:
My nearest neighbour at Gunsight Wash was from Keremeos and had camped in Mexico for years. Last year, as the story goes, he discovered that he was on a “kidnapping”list. The manager at the Campground where he was staying was involved in “shady business” (drugs) and had friends in the kidnap industry who threatened him. My new friend seems a little strange so, perhaps, there was a gap in communications? As his nearest neighbour, the thought occurs that I might also be on the backup “kidnap list” – what happens if the kidnappers arrive and he is “out”?
Meanwhile, the weather was mostly sunny with temps 75/45 on average. The Percys (Gerry and Heather) and I went golfing at Ajo on Feb 9th. The course appeared a bit greener than I remember it being a year ago at Christmas but still consists of a strip of grass (50 yds average?) running straight between areas of desert gravel. Local rules allow balls to be placed on the nearest grassy spot, though I noted local hardliners hitting off the gravel – presumably this keeps the Ajo-Used-Golf-Club businesses thriving? Roadrunner birds were noticeable absent this year whereas they were frequent spectators to our bad golf a year ago.
After several e-mails and phone calls to Telus about the phone problems, Telus phoned me on the new TracFone and offered reparation in the form of a $180 credit for my sufferings. They have also “upped” my data allowance from 1Gb to 5 Gbs for the same price. For next year, I shall see what can be done to put my Telus account on Vacation Interrupt for the winter while I use the more economical American services.
Feb 11th, went for a ride around the BLM perimeter fence-line (14 miles). Not much evidence of illegal hikers, though there were a few black-painted water bottles– black so as not to reflect light and therefore less easily spotted by Border Patrols.
Feb 15th– went in for a lunch and scrabble session at Don and Gayle Weyers’ house. The usual results – a resounding couple of losses with little to redeem myself except one “bingo”.
Based on my several protesting e-mails, a TracFone agent called. The quality of the his phone was pathetic and cut out three times before he got a good line. Even then, his English was heavily accented, he failed to understand that my main point in sending the e-mails was to comment on TracFone’s questionable Customer Service and ended up wasting an addition 40 minutes of my airtime with no real result. In the end, he contacted a supervisor who allowed as how I should get 120 minutes compensation, about the amount that TracFone has wasted. Anyway, that’s something, but I shall still keep e-mailing until I get someone who can respond in English and stop calling me “Mr John Worrall”
For the trip home, I got away from Gunsight about 11.00, since I had to “break” camp (+/- 2 hours) and made it as far as Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA. (N33 43.485 W116 11.735) I was actually looking for a Walmart, had found one on the GPS and decided that I might as well go a little further when I spotted the Casino with lots of RVs parked there. Various luminaries, including Willie Nelson, Frankie Avalon (no longer very luminous), Peter Frampton and others, headline the stage show on different Saturdays. The place was quite crowded – I couldn’t even get in to the dinner buffet without fighting a huge line-up, so went home to the trailer for Tuna salad. They have a whole parking lot designated for RVs, there is no charge, no check-in and, according to a neighbour, no maximum stay.
Day 1 started out pretty well with a following (as most are) tailwind much of the way to Quartzsite. From here, however, the headwind to Indio/Coachella was ferocious.
Day 2, from Indio, the freeways and Emily (my GPS) took me close to the heart of Los Angeles where traffic was thick but kept moving. I think I must have driven the better part of 150 kms in LA or parts of it, before exiting into the mountains north. Some of my reasoning for following the Interstates was a misplaced conception that I would be remaining near sea level and therefore not wasting fuel and speed on some tortuous (“tortugal”?)climb through the mountains. As it happens, I still climbed, lost speed and wasted fuel on a different ascent that ended at 4300’. Once down to lower elevations, easy cruising up central California to the Los Banos’ Walmart (not a Super Centre) N37 03.309 W120 52.820, a stop from last year. Nothing exciting about the Walmart except that it was a familiar place to park after the stresses of Los Angeles freeway traffic.
The next day took me out of California and over the Siskiyou Summit north of Redding. This mountainous stretch extends for at least 75 miles and is known for occasional heavy snowfalls. Temps were warm, however, and any precip. was in the form of rain - not a problem until dark when heavy rain, combined with spray from semi-trucks driving faster than my 55 mph dropped visibility to nil and made keeping the trailer between the lines a difficult and probably dangerous task. About 7:00, up showed Canyonville in the form of a brightly-lit 4-Feathers Casino sign, so I pulled in, got guided to my free paved spot by a security truck and spent a peaceful night. The buffet was not available but the restaurant provided sustenance for weary travellers.
From 4-Feathers Casino (N42 56.393 W123 17.053 approx ) to the north was very scenic down canyons with lots of flooding water and trees for a while, then a broad valley and flat, fuel efficient trucking for many miles. Portland, I navigated without issue, crossing over several bridges spanning the Columbia River – and then came Seattle.
Somehow, in Seattle, because there were accidents and delays on the freeway ahead, I was “detoured” by Emily (the GPS) to the east and then north again on smaller roads (522, 9, 2). This took a while, mostly in the dark but, eventually, I rejoined I - 5. A similar situation occurred as had happened the night before. I wanted to get close to the border but knew I wouldn’t make it all the way, so kept on going, again in heavy rain, until, miraculously; another casino appeared out of the dark. This one was the Tulalip Casino (N48 05.338 W122 11.536) in, none other than Tulalip, WA, near Marysville. As Casinos go, this was the best one yet. Again, paved parking at no charge, though one has to check in with Security – rivers of rain bucketing their way down to storm drains gave temptation to stroll around in gumboots. As an alternative, my spare golf umbrella came in handy for the wet slog from parking lot to casino entrance. My luck was in. Not only was the seafood buffet in full swing but it, (Tuesday) was seniors’ night with a 15% discount bestowed on those who qualify. To say that this was a feast would be an understatement. My Canada Food Guide friends from last year would have been dismayed by the sheer volume of oysters, prawns, crablegs, chowder and scallops that one senior could scarf down but – how often does one have this opportunity? Any twinge of conscience disappeared quickly, particularly when I got an e-mail from a friend inquiring as to whether the Indians were making any money off me (all casinos are operated by Indian Tribes, except in Nevada where the mafia hold sway) –thinking about gambling, of course, a habit that I just don’t seem to be able to acquire. Maybe it’s the noise and smoke but losing coins at an alarming rate and being laughed at by a machine is almost as bad as driving on wet roads at night. This casino was only 75 miles from the Canadian border, so I made it to Peace Arch RV Park in Surrey where the trailer is now stored for a month or more.
I am camped in my mother’s basement as she has taken ill and is spending a few days in the Saanich Peninsula Hospital. Hopefully, she will be discharged soon and I can get her home to tell her that casino food is vastly superior to hospital fare (just what she wants to hear). I plan to stay at least until the beginning of April and then play it by ear, depending on how mother is doing.
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