Yesterday, I continued my wash and wax project. I forgot to mention yesterday that when my neighbor told me his Jeep wouldn’t be in the driveway, he also said a park worker stopped him from washing his Jeep and told him it wasn’t allowed. He thought I might get in trouble for washing my rig in the RV park.

I thought that was strange. This park (Apache Wells RV Resort) is owned by Cal-Am Resorts. They also own the Sun Life RV Resort where we stayed in January. I saw people washing their RVs at Sun Life. I didn’t think Cal-Am would have different rules at another resort a few miles away in the same city. I looked up their policy. The policy states that “washing of automobiles is prohibited within the resort.” It goes on to say that there are many establishments in the area for car washing.

My take on the policy is this: if you have a passenger car or pick-up truck that you can drive to a car wash, you can’t wash it here. I don’t see that as prohibiting anyone from washing a motorhome or trailer.

I got an early start. I was washing the driver’s side of the coach by 8:30am. After I cleaned the windows and dried the surface, I polished the entire left side of the coach. This is a large area to apply polish to and then buff. I finished right at noon. The results look to be worth it.

Rear cap – you can see a neighbor’s trailer reflected in the shine

Another reflection on the shiny driver’s side

The polymer polish/protectant product I’m using is easy to apply and also buffs out easily. I’ll wait to see how well it holds up before I make a recommendation for this stuff.

In yesterday’s post, I laid out a general plan for our travels in the year ahead. My friend and former colleague, Allen Hutchinson commented that he would be competing in the Ironman Triathlon in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho at the end of June. We’ll be in Great Falls, Montana the week before for Donna’s bicycle race. Coeur d’Alene is only a little more than three hundred miles away.

We’ll book a site in Coeur d’Alene and hook up with Allen and his family. Maybe this time I can see him finish the race! I wrote about missing him at the finish of the Lake Placid Ironman here. That’s the beauty of this nomadic lifestyle. We get to catch up with friends when our time and space coincides!

Yesterday, Donna called and said she received a message from the bike shop. They said they’d found cracks in the rim of her rear wheel. I scootered over to the shop and looked at the wheel. In three places, where the spoke nipple passes through the rim, there were cracks. The wheel will have to be replaced. Donna’s figuring out her best option for a new wheel.

I had already arranged to borrow Mike Hall’s Jeep to pick up Donna’s bike. I went ahead and got the Jeep from Mike. I wanted to go to the Handlebar Pub and Grill in Apache Junction to watch the String ‘Em Up Band perform bluegrass music. I met Andy King there.

Andy is my friend from our high school days. He was a member of the String ‘Em Up Band, but now he just sits in for a set or two from time to time. I ordered a mushroom burger and ate while the band set up.

The second set was really interesting and fun. It was like an open mic session. First, a harmonica player from the audience joined the band. He was good. He fit right in with fills and solos on the harmonica. Then a young man (I want to say a kid, but he was at least 21 years old) stepped in. He sang an original composition and played guitar. That’s the thing with bluegrass – as long as everyone knows what key to play in, it’s not too hard to jam together. Finally a young lady stepped up to the mic and sang a song. She had a modern, almost falsetto style. I really liked the song she sang. Lots of talent at the Handlebar!

Today, I’m hoping Donna has her wheel dilemma solved and I can pick up her bike while I have the Jeep. Around 11am, I’ll start washing and waxing the rest of the coach. I’m waiting until late morning when the sun won’t be shining directly on the right side of the coach.

The RV park has a farewell dinner scheduled for 5pm tonight. Most of the snowbirds leave here by April 1st. The dinner and drinks are free! Never a dull moment!