Gilbert Galore

After our adventure in Tucson, we headed a short distance to Gilbert, AZ, and hit up Target and a gas station. The weather was great, and it was kinda fun to refresh the supplies and just be around people. I have to say that one of the things I’ve learned is that, if there are other spots available, don’t park right next to the large RV in a small parking lot. It’s just a courtesy. (Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.)

When I got back out to the RV, you guessed it, out of all the open parking spots, someone had parked on either side of me. I pull through the parking spaces because Estella is 24’3″, so we fit width-wise in a standard parking space, but we take up two spaces length-wise. Thankfully, no one parked in front of us, so we were able to maneuver out without damaging anything.

We stayed in the driveway of another Boondockers Welcome member for the next two nights. The homeowner was from NY, so we talked a bit of football, and I let him know that the RV repair person would be coming the next day to help sort out my heat situation before I headed north again. He was very pleasant about it and even offered to let the repair guy park in the driveway when he was there. I cannot say enough about how positive my experiences have been with BW; every host has been kind and helpful and knowledgeable about the area where we’re staying.

The Truma/Alde repair person arrived in the early afternoon the next day, and he was able to diagnose that I had a leak in my system. His initial diagnosis had been a full system replacement, so I’m glad we didn’t have to go down that path. He also did a flush of the system and fixed the light switch and the outlet in the “garage” of the RV.

While I was in Gilbert, I took advantage of being in a pretty populated area to get my hair done. I prefer going to Aveda salons because I know the products, and they are good on my hair. I also needed a haircut, so the timing was perfect. My stylist was great, and I would highly recommend Eden Salon & Spa in Chandler. Also, they had the cutest cross stitches in the bathroom.

“Please don’t do cocaine in the bathroom.” and “TITS UP”. Excellent reminders for us all.

When I left Gilbert, I was able to meet up with a former co-worker for lunch. We had a great chat, and I finally got some tamales and fresh, warm tortillas. YUM. I have loved being able to meet up with friends who I haven’t seen in years, sometimes decades, and just pick up where we left off. I also stopped at Lowe’s to get another hose connector for my fresh water supply. Luckily, the previous owners had left me with a great selection of hose connectors, but there’s a lot of stuff one connects to the fresh water hose – pressure-reducing valve, water filter, hose splitter, etc., and sometimes those parts need a different fitting. I got a brass female-to-female fitting and some more of that teflon tape you put around the male end of water things.

After lunch, we hit the road again to our destination for the next month Distant Drums RV Resort in Camp Verde, Arizona.

It’s Me, so – of course – there were mishaps.

A reminder of the Mishap Scale >>> (🍫 = minor; 🍫🍫 = ordinary; 🍫🍫🍫 = embarrassing; 🍫🍫🍫🍫 = terrible; 🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫 = not enough chocolate in the RV to recover)

A heater leak is just one of those things that could possibly happen when you live in an RV. Something else could go wrong tomorrow, but it’s our home, so we fix it, so we can keep thriving on our journey. My mishap here was that I didn’t recognize the signs – like the fluid on the floor under the mat where Arthur’s water bowl sits. 🍫🍫🍫 If I had recognized that, it might’ve been easier on the technician that came out to repair the van. He thought he was in for a lengthy job that turned out to be more of a maintenance appointment than anything. I think we were both relieved that it wasn’t something bigger.

And the maps got me again. This time, instead of moving the RV and having to re-park, I just got a Lyft ride to the salon. I was there early, the stylists were busy, so I just went to the bathroom and waited until they were done. I started looking around, and I didn’t see any Aveda products, which is odd. If you’ve ever been to an Aveda salon, it’s Aveda everywhere. I did some Googling, and I realized that I was at the wrong Eden Salon. 🍫🍫 At this point, this kind of mishap is starting to feel rather ordinary…unfortunately. I got another Lyft to the correct Eden Salon, and I was only a few minutes late.

The drive to Camp Verde was beautiful, and there was a rest stop, so I stopped to try to get a picture and take a work phone call. I pulled off the side of the road because I thought it was one of those rest stops where you just have a scenic view but no bathrooms or picnic areas. I was futzing with the teflon tape that I bought at Lowe’s, and the wind took it and unspooled the whole roll…. It was windy, I had the window open, and it just slipped out of my hands. 🍫🍫🍫🍫 So, I spent the entirety of the work call re-rolling the teflon tape back onto the bobbin that had – of course – rolled under the van before I could stop it from unwinding. To add insult to injury, I drove up the hill a little further, and there was an actual rest stop with bathrooms and a gorgeous view. Unreal. I was so annoyed with myself that I didn’t even get out and take a picture.

And that, ladies and gents, was my time in Gilbert, Arizona. Always an adventure!