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Sunday, March 15, 2015

Almost felt like Christmas!

Yesterday, we drove about 129 miles (206 kms) to just north of Kingman, Arizona. We've dropped back down into the desert now, and temps are warmer. It's just me, but I really do like the forest and the trees better than the desert. Even if it comes with slightly cooler temperatures.

Before we left, I had taken apart that switch that was affecting our transmission torque converter. I cleaned the contacts, and that seems to have done the trick. So our gas mileage is back to where it should be and Sherman's transmission is acting the way it was designed.

The first part of our drive was back on the Interstate 40 highway.

Another beautiful blue sky.

It wasn't long before we turned onto a section of historic route 66. Much better than the interstate, even if the route was slightly longer. 

Entering Seligman.

Seligman was a busy little town until the Interstate highway opened in 1978, bypassing the town. They say that traffic through the town "virtually disappeared".

Seligman looks little changed since the 1960's.

It's become a bit of a tourist town.


We didn't bother stopping, although in hindsight, we probably should have. After Seligman, the scenery gets a little boring...

Back in the desert.

Still, better than the interstate.

Somewhere in the desert.

"Kickin it on 66 at Mikes Outpost Saloon"

We made it to Kingman, Arizona (pop 29,000) where we stopped and picked up a couple of things at Walmart. 

Also, there was an Autozone store where I checked to see if they had that transmission switch in stock, and they did...for $10 so I picked one up even though my repair job on the old one seemed to work fine.

Then, put in another $60 worth of fuel to top things up at $2.29 a gallon (about 79 cents per litre $CAD).

Then, 15 miles north of Kingman, we made it to our Boondockers Welcome hosts, Roy and Melonie . They have a large property here out in the desert, and even have a full hookup site with sewer. Nice, because Sherman's tanks were getting full. 

And, they've got a beautiful big garage where they store their own motorhome out of the hot desert sun.

Kevin, Sam (the dog), and Roy.

Roy is not handicapped, but he likes to fix stuff and someone sold him this electric wheelchair because it was broken, and he's now got it fixed up and working!

Somewhere on the property.

Sherman, parked up beside the garage.

Our view at dusk last night.

When we arrived at Roy and Melonie's, they brought us our packages. It was almost like Christmas! We had arranged to have some items that we had ordered from Amazon delivered here in time for our arrival. 

The first one was just a new interior filter for our air conditioner. Last time I took the access panel off to clean the old one, it pretty much disintegrated! So now Sherman has a new one.

But the other two items we're looking forward to telling you about.

The first is a new wi-fi external antenna. Very often, we find ourselves parked up near a McDonalds, or a hotel, or a library, and they have unsecured wi-fi available but we're not always close enough to be able to get on the network. We have been using an external antenna that we bought a few years ago but technology has improved quite a bit. So here's the new one we bought...


(They have a different one available for you Mac users).

It has great reviews, and will supposedly increase your range by 4x. You can also get a 16 ft optional cable so that you can place the antenna on your RV roof to increase reception. So far, we've only been able to use it here at Roy and Melonie's, but it increased our signal strength from 3 bars to 5 bars, so it's definitely working!

The last item is our new RV washing machine!


So, we'll try these items out for a couple of weeks and then report back to you!

Have a great Sunday!





13 comments:

  1. The desert is not real exciting scenery but is scenery we personally love.
    Enjoy your stay there at Roy and Melonies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's nice to know that we don't all love the same type of scenery or else those places would get pretty busy. We like the desert just the way we like the beaches which is for a few weeks then we want the trees and the mountains with the cooler and fresher air.

      Delete
  2. Hi Kevin and Ruth
    Just a few questions about the wifi booster
    Can you connect more than one computer ?..
    The long cable?..can the booster go outside in the weather without putting it in a plastic bag?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, you cannot connect more than one computer. However, if you have Windows 8.1 you can set it up to redistribute the signal to other devices, or use some software called "connectify". Or, simply buy two antennas!

      No, I would say the antenna is not weather resistant.

      Delete
  3. I always wondered about those little washing machines - perfect for you guys whose wardrobe consists of so few clothes :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, and it should hopefully make it a little easier and quicker than just regular hand washing. Now if only they could make a small version that can be packed in a small suitcase that could be used in a bathroom sink when we are backpacking in other countries.

      Delete
  4. I thought the scenery was right up my alley! Looks like a good buy on the extender. I have some rv money stashed away and may just get one. Thanks. I'm thinking about Home Depot stores :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, you would love this desert scenery Chris!

      We'll give you the low down on it once Kevin has had time to give it a good workout.

      Delete
  5. I bought the Wi-Fi booster through your blog site. I am very happy. I stay since several months at a campground in Arizona. They offer free wi-fi, but everybody is complaining because it is very, very slow if you get even connected. With the booster I am connected in seconds and it is very fast. I should have known much earlier about it.

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    Replies
    1. So good to hear that you love it Renate. So far Kevin seems impressed with it too!

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  6. You guys are super organised - always thinking ahead to have your Amazon goodies waiting at your boondocking hosts address. That also is an interesting concept Boondocks welcome hosting. Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We try to be organized but it doesn't always work out that way. Unfortunately one of our packages didn't show up but then again it wasn't from Amazon either. Now we are going to have to figure out how to get it from their place to another location further on down the road. :-(

      We are loving this Boondockers Welcome site. It gives us a chance to meet up with folks that have similar interests and it also a chance to find out more about the local area too!

      Delete

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