Spring Training Welcome Dinner and Stadium Tour

Finally it was time for us to get started on one of our bucket list items for retirement - Volunteer for LA Angels spring training!  The Angels use volunteers to staff their ushers, ticket takers, and parking lot attendants and those volunteers come from the Tempe Diablose Charities.  We inquired with them and got set up to volunteer for the 2019 season.

For more info:  https://www.tempediablos.org/volunteer-opportunities/

To kick things off, the Angels held a welcome dinner at the local Sheraton for about 100 volunteers.  We received our uniforms (shirts, hats, and jackets), id cards, and parking pass.

We were welcomed by Arnold and Denis from the Tempe Diablos and our leaders.

Arnold on the left and Denis on the right.

The manager for the Tempe Diablo stadium welcomed us too.  Then Tim Mead, VP of Communications for the Angels spoke a little giving some info on the team and players as they head in to spring training.

Tim Mead

He took questions from the group so I told Al now is your chance to ask Tim a question.  Al asked him about the best player in baseball, Mike Trout's, contract which is up in two years.  Tim answered the question the best he could basically saying that it's all up to Mike.  Mike is very close to his family in New Jersey and he owns a nice piece of property there so it all depends if Mike wants to be closer to his family during the season or be a career player for the Angels.  We don't think it's a money issue because we expect the Angels will pay him whatever he wants.  So we have Mike for two more seasons and hopefully he'll be with the Angels for many more seasons. 

Then we were served a nice dinner and dessert with open bar.

On Saturday morning we met at the bottom of the entrance stairs to the stadium for a tour and some training.

Our leader, Arnold, took us for a tour of the stadium and pointed out things we needed to know in case guests ask us.

Painting in the office of Arte Moreno and who?
(Someone please tell us if you know the answer.)

View from the announcer's booth

After our tour we hung out and went out to the practice fields and watched some of the pitchers trying out for the team.

Funny watching pitchers playing basketball as part of their warm up.
They should stick to baseball!

Shohei Ohtani (in the white pants) with his interpreter.
Shohei is a unique player who is both a pitcher and hitter from Japan.

Some of the practice fields on the property

Our truck in front of the stadium.
Looks like an add for Ford Trucks!

We're so excited to be here and watch some baseball!

Yuma, Arizona and Los Algodones, Mexico

Before our Quartzsite tribe split up, we made a plan to go to Mexico with Dave and Kathy to visit the dentist.  Kathy was a nurse and so she knew what to look for at the dental offices to check on their cleanliness procedures.  They had their teeth cleaned down there before and knew at least two offices that she felt comfortable with out of hundreds of dentists. We wanted to go to Mexico with someone who's been there before to show us around so this was the perfect opportunity.

Since we were parked in an RV park in Mesa, AZ, we drove the 3 1/2 hours to Yuma, AZ and spent the night in a dumpy Howard Johnson hotel instead of towing the trailer that distance for a couple of nights.  We all agreed to meet at 10 AM at the parking lot on the US side of the border.  Everyone was on time and walking across the border into Los Algadones, Mexico was a piece of cake.  No one even asked to see any of our documents.

Los Angadones is known for inexpensive dental work, prescriptions, and eye glasses.  All the offices speak English and it's just like being in the US.

Some of us had appointments later at Oasis Dental so we walked around the town a little stopping in the prescription drug stores.  Kathy has a friend who uses inhalers that cost over $200 in the US for each one and Kathy was able to buy THREE for under $15.  I can't remember the exact amounts but it was ridiculous how much cheaper they were in Mexico.

While we waited for our dental appointment time, Al got his haircut.  Then the other guys got their hair cut too.

We agreed on a meeting time then split up to wander some more.  Al and I walked around town in search of a Mexican candy bar that we like called Bubu Lubu.  I saw advertisements on TV for them when we were in Mexico City last July and the name is funny and they sounded good.  We had to buy one and try it and we both liked them a lot.  It's marshmallow and strawberry covered in dark chocolate. We haven't found them in the US but after asking around a bit, we were able to find some in Los Algodones!  Scored!

When it was time for our teeth cleanings, we went to the office and checked in.  Dentists do the teeth cleanings unlike in the US where it's done by a hygienist.  Al and I had the same dentist clean our teeth.  He used a water ultrasonic scaler just like our dentist back in CA.  The cost for each of us to get our teeth cleaned and polished was $35!  

Oasis Dental Group

Our group waiting for our teeth cleanings.
They played the movie Shawshank Redemption while we waited.

After everyone in the group that wanted a teeth cleaning was done, it was time to celebrate with lunch and margaritas!  Margaritas were $2.99 each and the food tasted really good too. 

Dave & Kathy enjoying their strawberry margaritas!

Nancy, Joie, Mike, Wes, Kelley, Kathy, Dave, and Al

Wes, Kelley, Kathy, Dave, Al, Nancy, Joie, and Mike

I think that's enough margaritas for Nancy!

Food was yummy!

Wes and Kelley had to get back home to pick up their RV from the shop in Yuma at a set time so they said their goodbyes and left us.  The rest of us finished lunch and did some last minute shopping before headed back for the border.  Uh oh, there is a really, really, really long line to get back in to the US!  We walked and walked trying to find the end of the line when we found Wes & Kelley.  We jumped in to line with them and still had a 2 hour wait!  With all the time, people got to chatting in line and showing off their new dental work that they had done in town.

I have my passport ready to show the agent.

Almost back to the USA!

Still, the 2 hour wait was a drag since it was all standing and moving slowly.  Luckily we were with friends to pass the time.  Finally when we reached immigration there were only two officers checking passports and they let us back in the US!  Phew!

We're wondering if the wall that Trump is trying to get money to build is not to keep Mexicans and Latinos out of the US but instead to keep American's from going to Mexico for cheap health care and prescriptions!  Hmmmm....

We said our goodbyes to the group and then Al and I drove the 3 hours back to Mesa.  It was a good trip and we were glad we got to do the dental road trip with our friends.  And, Wes & Kelley made it back with 5 minutes to spare to pick up their RV from the shop and avoided sleeping on the floor of her parents house!

A full spectrum rainbow appeared on our way back to the Phoenix area.

Another beautiful Arizona sunset. 

Next we start our Spring Training activities with a welcome dinner and tour of the stadium. 

Mesa, Arizona Arrival

We said our goodbyes to our Quartzsite friends and drove a few hours to our next home for the month of February.  It was quite a shock to our system after spending most of January camping for free on BLM land in wide open spaces and peace and quiet to now being in a Mobile Home/RV park.  We're parked close to our neighbor and only a block wall separates us from a busy street.  The park is nice, well maintained, and full of snow birds!  Many vehicles parked here have license plates from northern states and even more from Canada.  I hear the park population goes down to about 30% full starting in April and through the summer when it gets extremely hot here.

The park is nice with two pools and club houses with various activities and amenities.  We haven't joined any activities because I feel the crowd is much older than we are and we're only here for a month.

See us parked next to the mobile home?
Our truck is parked between the mobile home and our trailer.

One positive about being settled into one place for a couple of months is we started to attend a local church - Central Christian Church.  It's within walking distance to our site.  Since we're not expecting to see anyone we know we're more focused on the service and that's a good thing.  Visiting a new church changes things up a bit.

One nice thing they have done every Saturday night so far is have free hot dogs, chips, and drink after service so people hang out and chat.

Good hotdogs!

While settled in to the Phoenix area, we got the shell installed on our truck so now the truck bed is enclosed and we have more protected storage space.  Al ordered the shell to match our paint color back in December knowing we would be in this area and with the lead time on the order, it worked out perfectly.

Last October while at the Cochiti Army Corp of Engineer (ACOE) park in New Mexico, we met another couple, Dorothy and Jerry and their dog, Sadie.  They started their full-time RV life around the same time as we did so we had a lot to talk about.  We kept in touch since we left them after caravaning to Santa Rosa, NM and knew we would both be in the Phoenix area in Feb & March.  First time we went to their park in Casa Grande to see their new rig and have lunch at a cute cafe nearby.

Look at Sadie smiling for her photo!

Then, the next week they came to visit us at our park and then we went to lunch.

Dorothy & Jerry turned us on to a great Italian restaurant in Tempe called RigaTony's.  I would say it's now my favorite Italian restaurant! If you're in the area, you have to try their lunch specials which come with endless salad and bread!

It was great to see Dorothy, Jerry, and their sweet dog, Sadie, and catch up on our various adventures.

Another Arizona sunset photo to end out this entry.  This one is the view out our bathroom window taken by Al!

As we spend more time in the RV we're learning the types of places we like to camp.  Although this park is nice, it's not our thing.  I don't expect that we'll be looking to stay in this type of park for the foreseeable future.  Like most places, there are pluses and minuses. 

It's been very cold here for normal Arizona temperatures!  Hopefully it will warm up soon as we get going with our spring training activities!  But first, a dental road trip to Mexico!

Closing Out Our Time in Quartzsite and Battle Born Batteries

As we close out our time in Quartzsite, AZ, we focus on the sunsets in the desert as God puts on a spectacular show almost every evening!

Most of the "Q Tribe" regrouped back at our camp on Plomosa road so we sat around a propane campfire catching up on our various adventures while apart.  We also had Donna & Mark from Oregon join us.  We enjoyed the opportunity to get to know them.

So happy Wes & Kelly were able to rejoin us after a mechanical problem with their rig had them towed to Blythe! 

The circle returns and Wes is now using his new 200 watt solar suitcase to keep his batteries charged.

 It's hard to stop taking photos of the sunset skies over the desert.

Our neighbors, Helen & Heinz, parked by "Helen's Cactus" just like they've done
for the past 10 years as they avoid the Canadian winters!

Wes & Kelley and Mike and Joie's rigs
Both bought 200 watt solar suitcases while in Quartzsite.

New to the circle, Mark and Donna's 5th wheel rig

So we finally made the leap and bought two lithium batteries, a 2000 watt Victron inverter, and battery minder from Battle Born Batteries.  We first learned of them while at the RV Nomads premier in Wellington, TX last October.  They were a sponsor of the event and gave a presentation that we attended.  Al's been researching batteries since then and knew we wanted to go with their system.  He's talked to several people who already use these batteries including Kathy & Dave.  This upgrade will give us 3 times more usable amps then we currently have!

While at the Battle Born booth at the Big Tent in Quartzsite, we ran in to Lisa & Dan of @Always on Liberty.  They also gave a presentation at the RV Nomads event last fall and were quite humorous.  They are retired US Coast Guard members and so they are now "always on liberty (leave)".   Also in the photo is Sean Nichols, co-owner of Battle Born Batteries. 

Lisa and Dan invited us back to their rig later that night to see their electric arrangement.  They were not parked very far from us so we took them up on their offer.  Dan showed Al how he powers his 5th wheel for extended stays in the desert.  Another couple were camping with them and we remembered meeting them at the RV Nomads event too.  They are Matt & Dianna who are seeking to visit all 400+ National Parks in the US.  Matt helped get our Chevy out of the mud when it was stuck last fall.  Small world!

Now Al needs to decide if he'll replace our one lead acid battery with the new equipment himself or have it professionally installed.  I think there will be a lot of YouTube videos in his future as he researches this project.



It's been interesting how our paths cross with people we've met previously on the road.  We've only been full-timing since August 2nd, 2018!  One couple, Tom & Lori, we ran in to at the RTR and we previously met last April in Pahrump, Nevada where we were attending an RV-Dreams Education rally.  Great to see them again!

Well, January came to a close and it was time to move on to our next stop, Mesa, Arizona.  We made it 9 nights of boondocking/dry camping without any trouble.  That's a new record for us!

Just a few more sunset photos captured by Al:

Now who's ready for some baseball?



Links to people mentioned in this entry:
Kathy & Dave:  OffOurRockerRV.com
Lisa & Dan:  alwaysonliberty.com
Matt & Diana:  adventurousway.com
Mike & Joie:  @OurMobileBackpack
Kelly & Wes:  @RoadHoundAdventures
Tom & Lori:  tomandlorirvlife.com