Cave Creek Recreational Area

I hope everyone had a nice Easter

We left North Ranch with the Queen behind the wheel.  I pulled out of the campsite as people ran for cover and headed for the open road.  At pickleball the previous evening I learned there was a Safeway Grocery store in Wickenburg the night before, so had my list all prepared.  They have the best selection of freshly made soups, featuring my favorite…Coconut Curry soup.  I’m like a junkie searching out another hit and could hardly wait to meet my dealer.

Parking See-More while towing a car can be an adventure.  Left Brain makes it seem so easy with his practiced eye.  He spotted the perfect location for us.  It was an interesting maneuver, cutting through parked cars at an angle, but it worked.  I was out of the traffic path and had an easy exit.  When you’re you a long vehicle you don’t just pull in without careful consideration.  But since we wanted to minimize trips into town, we stocked up.

After getting the groceries and putting the perishables away it was back in the saddle again to continue our journey.  It felt much better today and he didn’t have to pry my clenched hands from the wheel when I was done.   The day was nicer with little to no wind and my confidence is growing.

We decided to stop and have some lunch before arriving at the campground.  Again, the question of where can we park arises.  There was a shopping mall area, which is usually a good choice for finding a spot.  And sure enough, old eagle eye Left Brain saw a chiropractic office lot and since it was Easter Sunday there were many openings.

 As we were leaving the RV I noticed there was just enough space for a car to pull in front of me, which could cause a lengthy delay in leaving.  So I jumped back in and inched it forward to hog yet another spot.  I used to get so angry with those rude people that park at an angle and take two spots.  Now I’m using up six to eight spots and think nothing of it.

We walked around until we spotted a Denny’s and headed in.  This isn’t usually our first choice for dining, but it was convenient and I have to say the nachos I had were very tasty.

The gas tank was still half full, or half empty, depending on your point of view.  But I just didn’t think I could add the stress of getting in and out of the pumps with the RV yet.  I still had the hook ups to handle since I wanted become more familiar with that part of the set up.

We arrived at our campsite and after unhooking the car, Left Brain guided me into our spot.  This was my second time backing this beast up without any casualties.  Then I started to gather up the water hose and electrical cords to do the hookups.  I mean, how hard can this be, right?

It was harder than I thought.  I couldn’t figure out where the electric cord plugged in so decided to tackle the water issue first.  Everything seemed to be going okay until I realized I had the water hose coming up through the nest of cable for the satellite dish. 

When I tried to undo my hookup I neglected to turn off the water at the faucet which then blasted me in the face.  But since it was 86 degrees at the time, it actually felt pretty good.  As Left Brain rounded the corner I said I was having some difficulty and he just replied “I see that”.  I also had forgotten to add the pressure regulator to the hose also.  Sigh.  I have so much to learn.

I had the electric cord plugged in at the power box since that was the easiest part.  You have choices of 20 amps, 30 amps or 50 amps and thankfully the plugs are designed in such a way you can’t plug the wrong one in.  Thank you for making that part of this idiot proof!  But I was totally clueless as to where to plug it into the RV.  After Left Brain showed me and I had yet another “Duh!” moment.  He also pointed out the adapter if this outlet didn’t have all three choices right there.  I wondered what that thing was.

The last part was connecting the cable to the satellite and pointing it southwest.  I figured we’re already IN the southwest, so what difference did it make.  Left Brain silently gave me ‘the look’.  I am totally lost even with a map to find north and south.  He tried to point out the location of the sun in the sky and so forth and so on, but it’s such a waste.  He’s tried to explain it before and it just goes over my head.  I think this is the real reason the Jews wandered the desert for forty years; our internal gps systems are kaput.

After I set up the inside of our abode we wrestled the scooter off the trailer.  This will be a fun area to ride around and explore.  It’s been a while since I’ve been on this so I could use a refresher there also. This retirement life is so much more difficult than I ever imagined.

Everywhere you look in our site has a stunning view.  There is an abundant source of cactus to enjoy right here. It would be interesting to have an Easter egg hunt here considering this as well as the threat of snakes and scorpions.  My hikes in the immediate area will be done with my hiking boots to protect my ankles from any stinging or biting varmints.

Gambel's quail  (not my photo)

That afternoon we sat in the shade of See-More and watched the quail zipping around the area.  They make me laugh as they tilt forward and seem to roll across the desert at top speed like some kind of crazed toy.

Long Live the Desert Queen