It Doesn’t Happen By Accident…

Back in the sixth grade I had a Jewish manual training teacher who offered this piece of wisdom about life…”Plan your vork and vork your plan”. With his accent, the word work…sounded like vork. It seemed like good advice. Later in life I became an engineer and an ability to organize was an asset.

It’s really helpful in my RVing life. Researching an area prior to a visit is almost as much fun as going there.

Today we leave our RV Resort where we have been parked for the last ten days visiting friends and Mary’s relatives (another cousin yesterday) and head for southern Arizona. For about the next month we will be exploring much of the rather remote area basically south of Interstate Highway 8 and Mexico. A rough rectangular area of 150 x 50 miles.

Because of the remoteness…finding potential safe camping sites and places where we might empty our waste-water tanks became a concern. For the last several days, searching maps and books, but primarily searching on the Internet…I’ve managed to find some of those locations. With the help of Google Earth I’ve put this information in a manner which will help me find these locations while in the area. You may click upon the below image to see it in a larger view…

I’m not going to explain the codes to you…suffice it to say I know what they indicate. With this information available, as we explore the area for the about next month, it will greatly enhance our visits in that area. In other words…it will make me a happier camper! 

It ain’t easy being an ex-engineer…I just cannot help myself!  🙂

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

The Great Adventure Will Soon Begin…

and you are invited to join us!

For years I’ve had many people tell me…”I envy the way you live!” I have, tounge-in-cheek, replied…”Anyone can do it. It only requires three easy steps…

1) Sell everything you own.  2) Buy an RV.  3) Hit the road.”

Regardless of these three easy steps…some folks still haven’t hit the road…yet.

Within the next few days Mary and I will begin…her 2nd and my 6th…circumnavigation of the United States. It officially began in November, 2011 and is expected to be completed in November, 2013. I’ve been standing-by in the Yuma, Arizona area awaiting Mary’s joining me after enjoying the holidays with her family. She arrived yesterday at the airport in Yuma, Arizona.

In case you are interested, here’s the route we took from November, 2009 to October, 2010…

Here’s the route I’ve taken so far starting on November, 29, 2011…

Right now all I know about this upcoming trip is…we’re planning to spend the next couple of months exploring Arizona…south of Interstate Highway 8 to the Mexico border. We will then spend a good portion of the remainder of 2012 exploring the State of New Mexico. I’ve promised my oldest grand-daughter that when she graduates from high school in June of 2013 in southeastern Connecticut…that we will be there.

What routes we will take during these explorations…right now…I haven’t a clue. We’ll just have to see which way the winds blow us!

If you would like to travel along with us…all you have to do is click this link to our mutual Blog…
https://otrwjam.wordpress.com

Once you get there, click on “Subscribe To Our Blog”. Scroll down and click on “Sign Me Up”. You will then receive an email every time we post a Blog entry.

So far as I know, we are the only RVing couple that operates in this manner…which is…

As we experience the experience…we both write separate Blog entries about what we experienced! Therefore…you get two different perspectives of the same happening!

As an ex-engineer I tend to be “just the facts” kind of guy…plus I also tend to make use of lots of photos. Mary on the other hand is an ex-journalist and tends wordy verbose…hence you’ll get the real “inside scoop”,

We hope you will join us on our travels… it going to be a blast!

Don’t forget to tell your friends so they can follow along as well!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Pilot Knob, California

Waaay down in the southeast corner of the State of California, the land is flat except for a rise of land called Pilot Knob. This is what it looks like on Interstate Highway 8 heading east approaching Yuma, Arizona…

As always you may click upon a photo to see and enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

The campground I’m heading for is located at the horizon at the very far right in the above photo…about one mile from the highway. Why is it called Pilot Knob? I’m glad you asked! You can find out all about Pilot Knob by clicking this link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_Knob_%28Imperial_County,_California%29

I’m headed for this 14 day limit BLM campground. It’s called a campground…but there are no amenities here. But it’s convenient and free…so the price is right!

I parked next to my friend Leo Perth from Slab City. He was in the Yuma, Arizona area to take care of some business for a couple of days. He headed back to Slab City yesterday afternoon…

This is only the second time I have ever parked at this location…the other time was when I had just started full-time RVing back in January, 1996. I remember that time vividly because a violent wind of about 60 miles an hour created an awesome dust storm…my first experience with that kind of activity. The sand blasted the side of my then travel trailer and I thought it was going to blast the decals off! I remember looking out of the window expecting Lawrence of Arabia to come riding by! Fortunately…no sand storm this time.

Here’s a panorama looking due West…

Here’s another panorama looking due East with Pilot Knob in the background…

Finally here’s a fun perspective photo…

I spent only one night here as this morning at 9:00 AM I’ll be entering a nearby RV park for a four night stay. I’ll meet Mary at the Yuma, Arizona Airport about 12 miles distant this afternoon.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

Over And Around Indian Hill…

In yesterday’s blog entry I showed some photos of Indian Hill which overlooks the Colorado River across from Yuma, Arizona. In case you missed that entry, here’s the link… http://wp.me/pDCku-3fg

Yesterday after my Blog entry we took another two-hour walk…this time over and around to the other side of Indian Hill. As always you can click on the photo to enlarge it and then click on it once again to make it even larger.

In the first photo…to the left is the Old Yuma Territorial Prison…then the railroad bridge and finally…the one-lane (even today) vehicle bridge that completed the Coast To Coast Highway in 1914…

Next left to right…Old Fort Yuma Barracks…the old railroad station and St. Thomas Indian Mission…

The old railroad station waiting area apparently did not have any exterior walls for most of the building…

My walking companions Anne and Randy pose near a salt cedar tree…

A side view of the St. Thomas Indian Mission and the old railroad station…

A big old palm tree…

Interstate Highway 8 crosses the Colorado River heading north…

The Colorado River looking south…

A very old dried-up tree trunk…

A very old brick made in Mexico…

Another side view of St. Thomas Indian Mission and railroad cars…

Looking north at first the Coast To Coast Bridge in the foreground and the railroad bridge in the background…

Looking south at Interstate Highway 8…

A front view of the St. Thomas Indian Mission…

And a closer view…

The Colorado River heading north…

Finally about 15 minutes after sunset…

Once again, I hope you enjoyed the photos!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust