My friend, Bill Taylor, who joined me at Lake Tahoe, has been working with me on the remodeling project. We completed these jobs after a couple of weeks work. We will be going to Tucson for the winter.
We had a nice trip from Lake Tahoe to Tucson. It took us 4 days to get here, with regular pit stops for Molly and Bill, and a little sightseeing along the way. Our first stop was in Bishop, CA for the night. We had stopped a few times to look at the mountains and Mono Lake. Then we continued south on US 395, then over to the Ghost Town of Calico for the night. In the morning we took a leisurely stroll through the town and then headed east on I-40 to Arizona State route 95 south to Lake Havasu City where we stopped to view the London Bridge, which was reassembled there in 1971. We drove a little further to the city of Parker where we camped at the Bluewater Casino for the night. After dinner Bill and I went into the casino where I donated $20 them and Bill won $75 on the slots. That did it for the night.
The next day we continued south to I-8 and then on into Tucson. We made it to my favorite RV park before sunset. Friday we went into town to collect my mail and got some groceries. We mostly just relaxed on Friday and Saturday. Saturday night we went to the local car race track to watch a couple of stock car races. Not the big-buck races like on TV, just a bunch of locals who had fun. I believe in supporting this style of racing. We had fun.
On Sunday and Monday we looked for potential winter housing for us. It gets a little crowded in the motorhome and since I have modified it, Bill slept in the front cabin and we had to move his bed during the day so we had a table for dining. Well on Tuesday we found a cool little house where we will each have a bedroom. The house has a place for the motorhome and our other vehicles, plus a place where we can work on the Hot Rod. The rent is less than what is charged at RV parks and it has places for our tools and most of the items that I have had in storage for the last year or so.
Below are some photos of our trip to Tucson and our winter home for the next few months.
We found the house while driving along Ajo Highway on the way to the RV park from Tucson. It is located just a few miles west of the I-19 highway which links Tucson with Nogales, Mexico. I called the number on the for rent sign and made an appointment with the owner. Two sisters, our age, own the two houses on the property. We hit it off and got a reduction on the rent, plus some possible remodel work on the other house, which is also vacant. The house has had recent interior cleaning and painting, mostly done by the owners, but we were given a couple of items to complete, hang drapes, fix the bathroom sink plumbing. We will probably do a little fixing of the landscape while here. It needs a bit of TLC. I would love to make a fountain on the rear patio as it would be a nice noise buffer from the road below the house. Since we do not have any furniture we were offered some items by one of the sisters. A couple of couches, a dresser, table and chairs, etc. It appears that we made a good choice with this place.
Last winter was cooler than I wanted, even a snow fall or two. Tucson also had snow at the same time, but with a lower elevation it should not be as cold. I hope the house provides a bit more insulation than the motorhome did. Time will tell. I bet you all are waiting to hear of this experience to come. (Ha ha!)
The Hot Rod is based on a Ford Model T pick-up body. This is a fiberglass replica with a shortened pick-up bed, and widened fenders. The frame is custom built with modified suspension components. The engine is a modern Chevy that I estimate has around 250 to 300 horsepower. The transmission is an automatic for ease of driving and assembly. Some of the items we need to work on are installing a wiring system, head, tail and turn lights, engine gauges and speedometer, fuel tank and lines, transmission shifter and linkage, brake lines, windshield, upholstery and a few more items. The next travel log will probably contain only pics of the car in various stages of deconstruction as we get to completing it.
We have visited a couple of hot rod shops and have the option of getting their assistance with some of these needed improvements. One shop is very familiar with this type of car. Their shop is filled with some really neat a cool cars under construction. I do want some changes to the front suspension, so I will probably have them make those changes.
I hope you enjoy this and other travel logs that I've sent. I am able to check my email and get a cell phone signal at the house in Tucson, so keep sending your comments. It is always great to hear from you. I will send more info and photos as the winter in the desert saga continues.
Bye for now. We wish you all well and happiness.
Bruce, Molly and Bill
Link back to my "Bruce The Nomad" page.