We left Benson yesterday morning after enjoying the Polar Bear Party at the Saguaro SKP Park on Monday and Don’s final doctor’s appt on Tuesday. Don was especially eager to get back on the road as we’d been parked on our lot at Cochise Terrace since mid-October, much longer than we usually stay in one spot. He had a bad case of what we call “hitch itch.”
Our first stop was Speedco in Casa Grande. We’ve had good experiences with service here before, and we were again happy with this company. We had to wait about 1 1/2 hours to get the motorhome into a bay, then about the same for the oil and fuel filter change, and tire pressure check. Both the time spent and the final bill to be paid were much more pleasant than our bad experience with Freightliner in Tucson last year. There we waited 8 hours for an oil change while trucks that arrived after us were serviced first, and the final bill was way more than it should have been. We’ll continue to take our business to Speedco, where RVers are treated equal to truckers, with courtesy and efficiency, from now on.
Departing from Casa Grande after 2 pm, we decided it would be too far to drive to Quartzsite, and decided to spend the night in Gila Bend, about an hour away. It was delightful to meet up with Escapee friends at Holt’s Shell RV Park and share happy hour with them.
Counter-clockwise from upper left, John Kohl, Rollie Newman, Leroy Rust, Don Del Rosario, Janet Newman, Linda Hatcher, David Hatcher.
Today, we had an easy drive to La Paz County Park in Parker, AZ. The four early arrivers are us, Bill & Jan Mains (rally hosts), Art & Caroline Fennell (SKP Volunteer Club Representatives for the rally), and John & Karen Knoll. As we each arrived, we all shared big hugs of welcome, even though our hands were full carrying chairs and beverages.
Jan and Bill just came from a visit to Algodones, Mexico, where Bill got a new crown at the dentist office and they bought a nice bottle of almond liqueur, which they shared with the rest of us. Jan even brought out some special aperitif glasses.
But somehow Bill didn’t have a glass so he went for his sample directly!
Caroline was feeling very mellow.
And Art enjoyed his sample, too.
There were several more samples shared, but we finally decided it was time to have dinner. By then, John and Karen had arrived, parked and got set up.
Six of us enjoyed a great dinner at the nearby Pirate’s Den Bar & Grill.
Several colorful characters welcomed us there.
And the views inside and out were nice, too.
I was happy we weren’t parked in the adjacent RV park when I saw the rates.
We all enjoyed our dinners, and the waitress who served our table. She wasn’t a bad photographer, either.
And here are a few more shots of our friends. Karen Knoll and Jan Mains.
Bill and Jan Mains.
John and Karen Knoll.
It’s fun to be with these great friends, and we look forward to a wonderful rally (in sunny, warm weather) with them and the others who will be arriving tomorrow.
