Springtime in the Desert

 

Saguaro Cactus in Bloom - Saguaro National Park

With the arrival of 85F daytime peaks, or higher, the desert is blooming.  Birds are also mating and so there are a lot of activity.  I think the best times for wildlife viewing are at dawn or shortly thereafter.

Early morning the air is cool at 60F and the wildlife activity for the day is just beginning.  We see doves, raptors, woodpeckers and a variety of smaller birds in the National Park.  The larger birds pick a saguaro to perch on, while the smaller perch in Palo Verde's and shrubs.

On the other hand, the pollen count is quite high as Palo Verde's and a variety of shrubs and cacti are in bloom.

In the area, on the ground we see rabbits, lizards, and occasionally coyote and javelinas.  These generally avoid humans, so to see them one must be alert and stealthy. 

There is also a lot in bloom at the resort, and hummingbirds, too!

G and blooms in the resort

(c) N. Retzke 2022

Spring Startup - Oh, Oh, the slide has jammed

We have a long term plan. That includes shorter term components.

We took the RT out of winter storage and moved it to the location we decided upon last summer.

My experiences with a camper van includes two peak periods. One is prepping it for the winter storage and the other is taking it out of winter storage. After that, we enjoy.

Now. I admit I'm new to this. So there are always mini-adventures in taking the RT out of storage. Was anything damaged by the winter freeze? Did anything break or fail? Was my "winterizing" regimen successful?

So, when we power up the RT we check everything and look for issues or problems. As I like to tell my friends, this is like powering up one's home each spring after hibernating for the winter.

This year, we did encounter a problem which I would put in the "show stopper" category.

I check most of the major systems in the fall, make preparations for the winter and then recheck in the spring. I also took the RT to the Chevrolet dealer for the 15,000 mile service, which includes new wipers, replacing the engine oil with new Mobile One synthetic, rotating the tires and a good general check of the entire vehicle. After a clean bill of health by Haggerty Chevrolet in Wheaton, we drove to the location of the RT for the next six months.

Setup was uneventful. But on the morning after, the large slide-out would not open. This is a "show stopper" as opening this slide-out is essential for dumping the grey and black water tanks. Of course, if we can't open this slide-out we can't get to the BBQ, or the lawn chairs and firewood, either!

I was successful in solving this problem. The following video indicates how, and some other spring preparation: