Well, that is of course my legendary beef stew
cooked entirely in the RV for the first time I believe…
but lets begin at the beginning, or shall I say the end,
where we left off, by the Pacific Ocean.
Today we begin the return trip, driving back east, towards Phoenix.
Enjoy the ride.
Well, this is where we left off
as I witnessed the sunset over the Pacific Ocean
bidding farewell to the West Coast
There goes that train again with the annoying fake whistle.
I’m leaving Del Mar, and I have a pretty long drive back to the campground
Should be over two hours.
Well, at least this is the last gas that I will pay at over $3, $3.69
Well, there’s something you don’t see every day. That's all the traffic behind me on the freeway.
And check out the moon, I’ll be honest. It looked amazing in person
The video doesn’t do it justice. There’s that’s more like it.
And this is the Coachella Valley overlook. Seems to be very popular with young people who come, and park to look at the moon I guess.
Let’s make the stew and the first step is to brown the meat, even burn it a little, seal those juices in.
I went to Alde and bought some beer, so we’re going to bathe it in IPA to enhance the flavor.
OK, let’s pour a second IPA, and we’re going to let that simmer for a while. It is looking so good.
Then we’re going to dice some onions and put’em in, smash some garlic and chop it as well.
Ideally I would have done the garlic and onion separate but this is a one pot meal today.
Now some bell peppers. Dice’m up, and some celery as well.
A bit of tomato sauce. I also added mushrooms, carrots, olives, cumin, oregano and smoked paprika, and a bit of sriracha for flavor
but I am so tired I’m just going to eat and go to sleep.
Well, good morning from La Quinta, California
Today we begin our trek back east
Oh well, check out the moonset
Nice view huh? I do believe that is the Salton Sea in the distance
And down here, that is the campground, of course
Well, this is not good
Got a flat. Well this is the forst real setback of the whole trip
and after almost 3 weeks, that’s not bad at all.
I get to use my trailaid tire changing ramp.
Hear that water slushing in my gray water tank…. Could be the black too. I’m almost overdue for a visit to the dump station.
Oh wait, I’m supposed to loosen the lug nuts first.
Luckily I have a spare in decent shape.
Now all we need is a little air, and off we go, to the nearest tire shop.
Everything was going so smooth. Well the good news is that I thing this tire is salvageable
It's just a nail. I think that's all there is to it
so they might be able to patch it and then I'll get a new tire in Phoenix
Because nobody has trailer tires in this town
I'll use that one for now and then I'll use that one as a spare
That's the plan, anyways
Well, as I said, before we leave, a trip to the dump station is in order
I mean, I am going to an RV park in Phoenix, but we’re going to be going through some mountains so I want to be as lightweight as possible.
I’ve settled on a tire shop here in nearby Indio, California, called El Valle.
Hopefully I can get my flat plugged and I’ll take it easy on the way to Phoenix.
Well, this was a pretty nice park
OK, so I got my tires patched up here at El Valle
automotive, very nice folks
These tires are apparently very hard to get but I'm just going to go to Phoenix like this
Yeah, Phoenix is a lot more RV friendly, so I’m sure I’ll be able to find tires there.
OK, let’s top it off, one last time at California prices.
Well, I figured might as well get something to eat. They have a Popeye's here
This is the Coachella Travel Center
Well I love fried chicken and I haven't had Popeye's in a very long time
Well, it is time to get on the road again
But before that let me tell you about Custom Covers for your RV
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and if you mention me, Traveling Robert you get a 5% discount
As always I want to thank Custom Covers for their continued support
We are approaching Blythe, and there’s the California inspection station, where they will surely confiscate any citrus coming from Arizona.
As we cross the river
We're going into Arizona, look how pretty
Arizona state line. GPS: Welcome to Arizona Robert: Thank you!
Descending upon Quartzsite!
All these gas stations here in Quartzsite are always super busy
The Scaddan Wash, where I stayed a coupe of days ago, although it feels like a long time
It is very straight, I-10 in this area. Check out that power line! It looks like a suspension bridge.
Well, it is really not that far, but somehow it has felt endless.
I’m staying in Apache Junction, which is east of Mesa, which is east of Phoenix, which means basically I have to drive through the entire metropolitan area,
even through the city, the GPS apparently thought this was a better idea than braving it on the interstate.
Well, here I am... tired
arriving at the Apache Junction KOA, where I am going to spend a couple of nights.
Well, I made it here yesterday, as you saw
I am in Apache Junction
which is east of Phoenix, and I though it would be a lot closer to Phoenix
but it is not, it is like an hour drive
I have been busy all morning
and I didn't take the camera but I did an oil change
and I bought a new tire, let me show you.
because as you saw I got a flat tire back in California...
probably in Slab City I got that nail, I don't know
But here I got a brand new tire that I'm going to install before I leave
I did an oil change and they added power steering fluid because of that noise that it was making
I did groceries and I bought an extra hard drive because I'm going to need it with all the footage I've been taking
So... well that's it
Now I'm going to start exploring Apache Junction, Mesa, and eventually Phoenix
but that will be for you guys on the next video
I know, this one was kind of short, but, the next one? The next one will be action packed.
On the next video we’re going to explore the Superstition Mountain Lost Dutchman Museum, including the Elvis Chapel,
the picturesque Goldfield Ghost Town, then we’ll visit Phoenix proper,
its wild First Fridays, its deserted downtown during the weekend, Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza in front of the Arizona State Capitol,
and ritzy Scottsdale, among other things