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Fireworks are what we came for

Fireworks are what we came for

The Western Pyrotechnics Association (www.westernpyro.org) has been putting on these shows for 25 years and this is the 26th. There are professionals and amateurs involved and apparently you can join a club and design and make your own fireworks. The announcer on Saturday night explained some of what was happening and many of the fireworks we saw on Sunday night were made during the week by the local club members including the 81-year-old mother of the announcer.

On each of the 4 nights the fireworks started at dusk and even earlier and went until 10:30 p.m. On Thursday and Friday we thought they were not really exciting but still lots of fun with the big “boomers” going off even during the day. On Saturday and Sunday nights though, they were amazing. There were different companies showing off their wares and creativity with one show after another. With only a few small breaks to “put out fires” the shows were almost non-stop all evening with some huge displays that filled the sky above us.

The photos and videos (below photos) don’t do it justice but here goes:

This video is not the best quality and the sound may be deleted by youtube but it is just a small part of a 3-hour show that did not have many breaks.

Sunday walk at Lake Havasu City

Sunday walk at Lake Havasu City

We had planned to go home on Sunday not realizing that the fireworks show was scheduled for that night too. Since we were staying we decided to explore the hiking trails that were right across the street from where we were camped. The trail we took followed a wash down to the Colorado River (Lake Havasu held by Parker Dam) and it went through a lot of rock and made for some very scenic views and some shade from the sun. We didn’t make it to the river this time – next year – because we were not prepared. We did walk a little over a mile toward the river but needed another mile-plus to make it there. The soft sand and occasional bad footing made it take over an hour to cover that mile so we turned around. We had to be awake and alert for those fireworks that night. 

 

Our first “real” 4X4 venture into the desert

Our first “real” 4X4 venture into the desert

This is the Mojave Wash which leave AZ-95 at about mile marker 173 near Lake Havasu City.

This is the Mojave Wash which leave AZ-95 at about mile marker 173 near Lake Havasu City.


The organizers of the 2015 Western Winter Blast volunteered to lead a 4X4 trip out into the desert for all that wanted to go. Having never really done any off road traveling with the Tracker – a 4X4 – we decided to give it a try. It turns out the the couple that volunteered to lead the way and members of their family and we were the only ones who wanted to go. They said that it would take about 2 hours to reach our destination, we would explore the area – some cabin I think, and then 2 hours back. We would leave the highway about 5 miles south of where the event was held and follow the wash to the cabin.

We left the highway and almost immediately climbed a couple of very steep hills – I seriously thought the Tracker might fall over backwards on both of them. That was fun but the rest of the next 20 minutes or so were very brutal. They had told us the creek bed was “washboarded” but we imagined the washboarding that dirt roads get between gradings. This “washboard” had undulations that were about a foot or so and were throwing us and everything in the Tracker around like we were in a cocktail shaker. We pretty quickly decided that we could not take this for the next 4 hours and turned around. I don’t know if that is normal or if it has anything to do with the Tracker vs. a Jeep, or whatever but maybe next time. The trip back to the highway was much easier and more fun because we were not following anyone and could take our time vs. trying to keep up with the “big boys”.

Lake Havasu Western Winter Blast Pyrotechnics Show

Lake Havasu Western Winter Blast Pyrotechnics Show
We are in a spot that is for small RVs so we are not in the shade of those "beasts". We are only one row away from being as close as anyone to the grandstands and Saturday barbeque

We are in a spot that is for small RVs so we are not in the shade of those “beasts”. We are only one row away from being as close as anyone to the grandstands and Saturday barbeque

That sign is on the Saturday barbecue building.

That sign is on the Saturday barbecue building.

We heard about this event from a friend and decided to give it a try. This show is where manufacturers and distributors of fireworks demonstrate them for professionals. The charge is $100 for 5 nights of “dry” camping, i.e. no hookups of any kind. But, we have found that the events that we have enjoyed the most using the GMC involve dry camping and we are, after all, “fully self-contained”.

We arrived at about 3:30 on Thursday but the event had started on Wednesday evening. The free areas that the BLM allows camping on were more and more crowded on the way into town. When we got really close there were a couple of miles of signs and traffic-control stuff in the road that made sure no one parked on the road. We had no trouble getting to the rodeo grounds where the camping, grandstand viewing (extra $$), and Saturday night barbeque ($10/ea) are provided.

The fireworks at the raceway (about 1/2 mile away) should be right over the top of the coach in this photo.

The fireworks at the raceway (about 1/2 mile away) should be right over the top of the coach in this photo.

It turns out that the actual show is only on Friday and Saturday nights but Wednesday and Thursday are open for people (professionals) to do whatever they want from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. We’ll see how that goes but we are pretty hopeful.

Trip #46 to the GMCSJ Rally at Ajo, AZ December 4-7, 2014

Trip #46 to the GMCSJ Rally at Ajo, AZ December 4-7, 2014

This was the third year in a row that the GMC -Saguaro Jetset Christmas rally has been held in Ajo, AZ and hosted by Jim and Adelle Decheine and Bob and Anna Frazier. It is a pretty short trip – around 150 miles – and there are two choices for routes. The quickest one is interstate highway for about 60 percent of the way there and the other is two lane highway through the desert (and the indian reservation) all the way.

The coach ran great as usual but we noticed that we touched ground in the rear pulling into a driveway part way there but thought nothing of it at the time. Once we got to the camp ground though I did notice that the air suspension system in the back would not turn on. I diagnosed the problem as the power relay that supplies power to the air compressor. I happened to have a spare one so I wired it in in place of the old one and it fixed the problem.

I also learned some things about Onan generators. One of the other GMCers there had a problem with his Onan not starting. It did have a Pertronix solid-state points replacement unit installed but, unlike the current way of installing them on the flywheel, this one was installed in place of the original points. It still utilized the push-rod mechanism and it had work the back of the unit out a little and that resulted in the magnet not passing in front the the pickup as it had done before. We readjusted the unit and the Onan fired right up.

We had a good time and no trouble.

Trip number 45 – Prescott, AZ for GMC Saguaro Jetset rally

Trip number 45 – Prescott, AZ for GMC Saguaro Jetset rally

IMG_1193Our 45th trip – hard to believe. Some trips have been pretty short but all of them have been fun. This time we went to Prescott, Arizona for a club rally. This club was established almost 40 years ago as a GMC motorhome club when GM quit sponsoring the original clubs. There wereall of 7 GMCs at this rally – about half of the coaches present – but everyone is still nice and fun to spend time with.

The GMC ran great as usual but we did have a problem starting on the way to the rally. The old “hot start” problem was back with a vengeance. A week or so ago I had all 6 old tires (bought a new tire in Barstow on the last trip) replaced and when I went to leave there I could not start the coach. I thought I had fixed the problem with a new battery ground cable and a new starter solenoid. Well, it wasn’t fixed. About 40 miles from home we stopped to get gas and it would not start again. I would turn the key and there was no sound from anywhere in the area of the engine (the rear suspension air compressor relay clicked in the back). I jacked up the right front and got under with my volt meter and measured voltages as Carol tried starting it. I measured only 8.5 volts on the wire that engages the solenoid. I used a temporary jumper wire to get the coach started and started thinking about how to fix the root of the problem.

The root of the problem is that there are multiple connections, 38-year-old oxidized connections, between the ignition key and the starter solenoid. Each old connection adds resistance to the wire and drops the voltage a little. It finally got so bad that there was not enough voltage to engage the solenoid. The solution to the problem is to use the reduced voltage to engage a small relay instead of the really big solenoid. The relay then connects the battery directly to the solenoid and it now starts like a new car.

Back at Lake Havasu State Park for the night

Back at Lake Havasu State Park for the night

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We got to Lake Havasu State Park just after 5:00pm and the rangers had gone home so we had to go through the motions of choosing our site and then going back to the gate with a check for deposit into the night payment slot. We decided to walk back – almost a mile – and got this photo of the wetlands right near our parking spot. If you are thinking (we were not) that there might be a lot of bugs near such a place you would be correct. We tried leaving the windows open with the fans running but these bugs were small enough to get through the screens and, before long, we had a major bug issue going. It make the evening very unpleasant but we stayed and fought them. We will probably not be back in the future.

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We had an amazing sunset – too bad about the bugs but not a nice place when that is going on.
One more day of driving to get home today (Friday 10/17).

On the way home

On the way home
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They told us they were “full” last night

We left Brian and Chris’ house at about 9:45 and headed for Salinas to visit Carla and Artistic HangUps, our old business. We visited with her for an hour or two and then headed out for Bakersfield and the Orange Grove RV Park just East of there. Funny thing was we got there at almost 6:00pm and, even though they gave us a space, they said they were full. We had a quiet evening and today, Thursday, Oct. 16th, we plan to make it to Lake Havasu State Park where we spent the night on the way West. We will start out today climbing the Tehachapi Mountains. We plan to unhook the Tracker at the bottom of the hill to make the climb easier – we have done it before without unhooking but it is very steep and long so this will make our tranny last a little longer.

San Jose, CA – coffee and technology

San Jose, CA – coffee and technology

Our son Brian and his family live in South San Jose and, while their boys were in school on Monday and Tuesday, October 13th and 14th, we made trips into San Jose. On Monday, Brian and Chris and we took the Light Rail into the downtown area right next to San Jose State University where there is a Philz Coffee shop. We love their coffee and they also have amazing pastry. On Tuesday, Brian had to work, so Chris, Carol and I took the scenic route to Santana Row, a real upscale high tech shopping center in San Jose. There is a Tesla showroom there and Carol’s grandson, Logan, just started working for them so she was really interested in visiting it. I have been watching Tesla for several years and would really love to own one of those some day. Right now, for a $70,000 car, “someday” has not yet arrived so just sitting in one will have to do. This being the Silicon Valley area, there are lots of Teslas to be seen in local traffic – they are awesome.

Day 14 – Treasure Island and Fleet Week 2014

Day 14 – Treasure Island and Fleet Week 2014

The location is awesome. Treasure Island had a beautiful view of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the bay. The fog cleared on the island on Friday and Saturday and, on Saturday, it even cleared in the city itself. Friday’s practice sessions for the various performers did not really happen because there was too much fog but Saturday’s show was awesome. This whole event is really great. Even the dry camping (no hookups) is OK – just a little generator time during the day. Tonight we attended a pig roast that is an annual event at the TI Yacht Club – yummy.