Sunday was fairly uneventful. Donna went for a bike ride and quickly realized that the race organizers had made the right decision to cancel the duathlon. As we feared, flood water had left sand and debris across the road in the low spots. Also, there were signs at the entrance to the park asking visitors to stay off the trails to give them a chance to dry out. While she was out, I started organizing the trailer and the main basement compartment.

I waited to load the scooter until we had the slides in and the jacks up yesterday. With the coach leveled on the jacks, the trailer was nose high. It’s hard to secure the scooter with the trailer at this attitude. The scooter rolls back away from the wheel chock while I’m trying to attach the tie-downs. With the jacks up and the air dumped from the suspension air bags, the trailer is slightly nose down. Then gravity works in my favor as the front wheel stays tight against the wheel chock and I can secure the tie-downs.

We fired up the engine around 10:30 a.m. While the engine was warming and the air bags were pumping up, I did a walk-around inspection before we drove off. We decided to take a different route back to Apache Wells RV Resort in Mesa. We left Fountain Hills and took a left on the Beeline Highway (Rt. 87). This took us east about 10 miles to the junction of the Bush Highway. We took the Bush Highway through the Tonto National Forest past Saguaro Lake and followed along the Salt River. We drove past our old camping area at the Phon D Sutton Recreation Area.

As were were cruising along, I remarked to Donna how much I enjoyed driving this coach. It’s so easy to drive, it rides smoothly and handles well. We have more than adequate power. On the RV forums I visit (check out my new Resources page), threads start from time to time regarding gas-powered motorhomes versus diesel. Just like threads asking which is the best oil or what are the best tires, people start defending their choices and it devolves into a forum fight.

I try to stay out of these types of threads, but I get sucked in on occasion. In the gas-versus-diesel argument, there’s no right or wrong. You choose what works for you. In the beginning, we chose a gas-powered rig. The purchase price was more affordable and I could do all of the maintenance work myself. We didn’t know at the time that we would be full-timing.

After living in it for five months and traveling 7,000+ miles, we found it didn’t really fit our needs. We wanted a different floor plan, one that was more open and conducive to setting up a work station. Although the big 8.1 liter (496 cu. in.) GM Vortec engine was powerful, we found ourselves struggling at times, especially at altitude crossing mountain ranges. I detailed some of the experience in this post.

I test drove several gasoline-powered motorhomes before we bought our first rig. Ours was built on a Workhorse chassis that had upgraded shock absorbers, a beefy rear track bar and a steer-safe steering damper added to it. It was the best handling rig of all the coaches I test-drove. But it was difficult to handle in windy conditions. Semi tractor-trailer rigs passing by would cause it to sway. Even with the suspension upgrades, the coach would roll and lean through turns. Coming down long, steep grades required good braking technique and concentration to avoid overheating the brakes. Was it a bad vehicle? No. Was it un-driveable? No. But it was exhausting at times. If we were weekend warriors, we might have kept that coach.

When we decided to look for a replacement, we set certain parameters. First of all, we wanted a rear-engine diesel pusher. We wanted certain considerations with regard to floor plan. We looked online and compared rigs for several weeks before we settled down to a few choices that met our requirements. Now that we own a diesel pusher, the higher purchase price, fuel costs and maintenance seem to be well worth it for us.

The big Cummins ISL diesel engine makes plenty of power. The engine also provides two stages of compression braking. I wrote about that in this post. The air-bag suspension rides smoothly and there’s very little body roll. For us, diesel is the right choice. I couldn’t go back to a gas engine, steel-spring chassis.

I guess I went off on this subject so I won’t have to jump into the fray on the RV forums!

We’re set up in a nice site at Apache Wells RV Resort. Our site has a large concrete pad. Donna directed me in as I backed the trailer onto the pad. Once I put the wheel on the front jack of the trailer, rolling it where I wanted it was a piece of cake. Then we positioned our coach next to the pad. We have our patio carpet out and chairs set up under the porch awning. The only downside to this site is spotty wifi. When we were here before, in site 56, we had a smaller concrete pad – the site was mostly gravel. However, we had great wifi there. There always seems to be some kind of trade-off.

Our new site

By the time we were set up yesterday, we were starving. It was nearly 2pm and all I had to eat all day was a cup of yogurt and coffee. We hopped on the scooter and rode over to an old favorite, Senor Taco. I had rolled tacos with guacamole and Donna had fish tacos with a Corona beer. That hit the spot.

After we returned, I took a long, hot, luxurious shower. That’s the big plus of a place with full hook-ups. Unlimited water and sewer usage! Of course the trade-off is that we’re in a tight site with neighbors close to us and were not surrounded by nature. This will work for us until we get the hitch itch again.

Today I’ll catch up on laundry at the park laundromat. I also need to wash the scooter. Maybe we’ll lounge around the pool this afternoon. No real plan, just go with the flow!