Water Issues, and Thoughts On Our Fourth Day of Boondocking - Thursday, March 21, 2019

Today, we don't have water. It's a fact. We ran out of water in our fresh water tank. Can't do much when you run out of water!

Bob is the only one who went to a seminar today. I admit, I stay up late writing blogs, so I like to sleep in. If I had gone to an early class, I would have chosen "Valley Fever," about coccidioidomycosis (a respiratory disease caused by inhaling microscopic fungus spores endemic to the Southwest). It can cause flu-like symptoms about three weeks after contracting it.

At 10:00 a.m., Bob went to "General First Aid" for a refresher on what to do and not to do if someone needs medical help. There was also a review of what to keep in a First Aid kit.

During the same time frame, I would have enjoyed going to "Road Trip Destinations by Full-Time Families." Their write-up said they "will talk about hidden gems around the country" and some of the "favorites" they have visited including state parks and factory tours. Bob's probably glad I didn't go because my bucket list is already 43 pages long (in outline form), although we are checking things off the list as we go.

After the seminar, Bob he said he walked out the door of Thurber Hall and the Pet Parade was in full swing. Many of the pets were wearing costumes. That was the place to be seen if you have a dog. (Don't know if there were any cats, birds, horses, bunnies, etc., since I wasn't there.)

We had lunch, closed the 5th wheel, hooked up to the truck, and made the one-mile trek over to the dump station and then the fresh water fill spigots. It will be very nice to have water again!

The activities at Escapade for the rest of the day included:

• Pet Parade. (Our cat would not have done well here!)
• The Escapade Hair-Raising Chili Cook-Off. For this, you can cook up a pot of your favorite chili to be judged by the judges, or the public. Or you can attend, taste all the chilis, and do your own voting with a buck or two for your favorites. There are two winners: the one chosen by the judges, and the one that brings in the most money. All proceeds go to support CARE. (We skipped this event to take care of our water issue.)
• Closing Ceremony at 3:00 p.m. We were there and heard who the winners were for the Chili Cook-off and the Photography Contest. There was also a volunteer-only door prize (a portable solar system kit [$385 value]), and, an amazing HOP [Head-out Program] for two to the 130th Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade [a $2,000 value, includes RV parking]; and a Grand Prize Drawing which was to go to the 2019 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta [$3,845 value]. We attended the closing ceremony and cheered for all the excellent staff and volunteers who made Escapade enjoyable through all their efforts in the background (and some in the midst of all the action!). Two people representing Rock Springs, Wyoming, where our 2020 Escapade will be held, came to welcome us to Rock Springs. When they mentioned their campground had over 1,000 full hook-up sites, a rousing cheer went up from the crowd, especially all of us boondockers who weren't quick enough when we registered to get a full hook-up site here!
• Farewell Fiesta. Food vendors, "No Reply," a local Tucson band for dancing and singing, and things for the kids to do. The Cantina Courtyard was the place to be to hang out with new-found or old-time friends and relax a little. Instead of doing the Farewell Fiesta, we wanted to try out a local restaurant that people had been saying good things about all week.

For dinner, Bob kidnapped me to McGraw's Cantina on a hill overlooking Vail and Tucson, Arizona. It's supposed to be fantastic for sunset views. No pretty sunset, tonight. However, it was still a very good place to eat!

Entering McGraw's Cantina.

McGraw's indoor decor.

View from McGraw's.

BBQ chicken, baked potato,
steamed veggies.

Bob and I at McGraw's Cantina.

We had a lovely evening and it was time for us to get ready to hit the road tomorrow. On the way back to the fairgrounds, we made a stop for provisions at Walmart. That's where we saw the sunset!

I guess we were at McGraw's too early for sunset!

Back at the 5th wheel, I got ready to roll. Usually, that means vacuuming and tidying everything, basically battening down the hatches. Tomorrow, Phoenix and family!

Thank you to everyone who put on an excellent Escapade. We enjoyed the entertainment, the beautifully done Program Book, the speakers and seminar subjects, and all the thought and effort that the staff and volunteers contributed. 

We especially want to thank Dale Kennedy from Fresno, California, for rescuing us and our 5th wheel from the campground we were in when our truck broke down. He took time away from his first Sunday to haul our 5th wheel with his Chevy Silverado. It took an hour round-trip, plus the time it took him to get from the fairgrounds to the Pima Air & Space Museum to pick Bob up. What a wonderful group of people. Again, thank you so much to everyone.

Before closing out today's blog, we wanted to share our feelings about boondocking. We have not gone more than one night without hookups before so we only had a smidgen of an idea how to boondock. Boondocking, for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, means dry camping (no water, no electric, and you can only use propane heat if you don't need electricity for the fan). I did attend one discussion years ago at Howard and Linda's RV-Dreams Rally in Kerrville, Texas, where there were tips about how to save water boondocking. 

Here's what WE learned boondocking for five nights (with no solar back-up, and only one 12-volt battery, and a 3,800 generator):

• We knew how to keep the black tank from filling up. No problem there.
• Without being able to run the generator overnight, we had no heat.
• Our low temperatures in Tucson overnight were in the 30s and low 40s. Four blankets and a 20-pound cat did not keep us warm. We could not start the generator until 7:00 a.m. due to the quiet hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Brr!!
• The generator could run 3-4 hours, depending on usage, with the gas in the tank and then it had to be refilled.
• We were never sure if we should leave the generator going if we left the 5th wheel to go to class, so we turned it off.
• If we did not run the generator so it could charge our battery, the water pump would not work; therefore, no flushing toilet or running water at all.
• Even though our water tank was full to the top when we pulled in, and even though we reduced our water use as much as possible, we ran out of fresh water in 3-1/2 days. That necessitated closing up the rig and driving to the other end of the fairgrounds to fill with water. (We're glad it was so close!)
• Boondocking at the fairgrounds was in a gravel field filled with those tiny little burs that get tracked in on your shoes. Ouch! No fun.

The upshot of all this is we learned we could survive for 3-1/2 days without hookups, but we're thankful that we have reservations in parks with water and electric hookups for the rest of our trip. We decided we would rather not boondock. It's not for us. As Forrest Gump would say, "And that's all I have to say about that."