And We're Off Again

During our winter stay in Mesa, AZ,, I take a break from writing our blog.  We had some visitors, took some hikes, and generally did our normal wintry things. But the most time-consuming and expensive thing we did was to trade in our 30' Class A motorhome for a fifth wheel.  Of course this involved also buying a truck.  Here's our baby when we picked it up at the dealership.  It's a Northwood Fox Mountain 235RLS.

As soon as we got it home, Ron went to work installing solar panels and controller, as well as an inverter/charger with remote controller.

And the work didn't stop there.  He moved all the wiring to install four AGM batteries and reinforced the bin floor for a generator.

Except for the batteries, we ordered all this online.  Imagine the poor UPS driver who had to deliver the generator!

He also installed towel racks and coat hooks, and converted the pantry into a closet by removing shelves and adding a clothes rod.

On April 12th, we left Mesa and traveled 150 miles to our new lot in the Escapees Saguaro Co-op in Benson, Arizona.  This is actually our second lot.  The first was completely empty and we upgraded to one that is almost empty.  This one has some concrete and pavers, but the reason for the move was the orientation of the lot.  The first lot faced southeast and the afternoon sun hitting the side of the RV was a killer.  This lot faces west which works out much better for a fifth wheel with no windows in the front.

The first thing we did was weed, just like we do in Mesa.

But for poor Ron, the work continued with hanging things (pictures, clocks, more hooks) and fixing up the imperfectly positioned pavers and edging on the lot.  He added a shelf in a large cabinet next to the door.

This involved staining the shelf and supports, which I could understand, but I think only he would stain his hat rack which was a slightly lighter wood.  After all, it will be covered by hats!

Sometimes he did relax a bit.  Notice how he placed the things on the wall so he can lean back in his favorite resting position.

We've been here for 10 days and are leaving tomorrow.  Being the procrastinator that I am, I waited until this evening to take pictures.  The lots here are leased and any improvements to the site are added to the cost of the lease.  The maximum building size, which is elegantly referred to as a casita, is 288 square feet.  They range from shed size . . .

To very substantial, with park trailers instead of RVs.

Note - the park trailers are not added to the lease and must be removed or sold independently when a lease is terminated.

This is one of my favorite casitas in the park.

As members of a co-op, we all have to pitch in to make the park a success.  Because we are rarely here, we work with the landscaping committee.  Ron and I worked on the area around the clubhouse this visit.

And finally, here's the view of the Dragoon Mountains out the rear window of our fifth wheel.

Tomorrow we're leaving here for New Mexico where we plan on hitting many of their state parks.  Hopefully, I'll soon catch up on reading other blogs.