Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Topic: Photos from Quartzsite 2014 (Read 998 times) previous topic - next topic

Photos from Quartzsite 2014

February 05, 2014, 10:37:02 pm

As you can see from the photos, a great time was had by all this year in Quartzsite. Even the dogs were happy meeting new friends. Sounds like a great time was had watching the SuperBowl. Unfortunately, we don't have the networks on our Dish programming so had to wait for the sports recap on CNN.

After leaving, we headed south to Puerto Penasco. We stopped for the night in the campground at Organ Pipe National Monument. A very impressive campground with dead flat poured and dyed slabs, each perfect for drive through with plenty left over. I bought one day liability insurance to PP but should have just purchased a one year policy on my driver's license ahead of time. Was just a $25 mistake so no big deal. Driver's license insurance is good for anything, any vehicle, ATV, motorcycle, RV, rental car, etc. Was exactly $100 for 12 months when I purchased it from the Portugal Insurance rep that came to Playa Bonita RV Park.

I had the seats done exactly as the OEM in a Mexican vinyl called Coronado Tanino, a perfect color match. The price was $550 U.S. for both seats. The exact copy of the seats required a lot of piping and had to be custom made from the roll of vinyl. Since the vinyl is probably twice as thick as the factory material, the corners have a slightly larger radius. Perforated vinyl was not available.
Shop: Tapiceria Muňoz, David Munoz, Blvd. Sonora 78, Puerto Penasco, Cell 638.115.1500, Shop 638.115.3283 . This is a hole in the wall but did excellent work.

Playa Bonita RV Park is part of a resort hotel and has a restaurant between the hotel and the RV park. $144/week non-seafront, $175/week ocean side. Hot showers with laundromat in next room. Great restaurant for romantic dinners or happy hour fun on the big deck. Margaritas are $2 or $6 pitcher 4 to 6 pm. Food is GREAT! Vendors come to your RV site each day with huge shrimp, tamales, etc as well as the propane truck if you need it. Voltage is fine. No one can remember anything being taken from sites so everything is left outside including Dish Tailgaters, etc. 30 Southern California Elk's Lodge members checked in a few days after we arrived.

There must be 50 dentists in Puerto Penasco. After asking long time residents of the park for recommendations, we chose LG Dental Office at Av. Sinaloa #183, Office 638.388.0488 . Very modern office with the latest digital x-ray machines. Gaylie had an x-ray for her root canal and could see it on the computer monitor in just seconds. No charge for the visit or x-ray (only taken if you need one) with the total cost for a root canal $250, crown $250. I had a cap in 100% porcelain for $350 (avail also porcelain/metal for $250) and a 5 unit bridge for $1250. The lab is on site and all work is done in 24 hours or less. They also do implants but is a 7 month process. The work was perfect and painless. They even take U.S. bank checks for the total amount.

Last, they did have a military vs a rogue cartel raid on December 18. It was organized by the head of the "good" cartel and featured the DEA, U.S. consulate in Tucson, the Mexican Navy and about 250 troops along with several helicopters and one helicopter gunship. It started at 5 am with tweets from our consulate to hotel guests to stay in their rooms. RV park members watched at a distance the fire fight between several SUVs and the helicopter gunship. Since the helicopter was using tracers, it was easily seen in the early morning hours. The SUVs were allowed to get a safe distance from the hotel before they were destroyed and the word was 25 or 26 body bags were used. They media said 5 but everyone laughed about the number. This was several miles up the beach from Puerto Penasco.

We are now home again looking forward to Q next year and probably a 4 unit bridge on top of that. Koda and Trip can decide who's top dog again.

Here are some photos and a links several Picasa photo albums. Having saved $$$ on dental work, it was petal to the metal coming home. The steep grades in Death Valley and Highway 395 cut our fuel mileage to 7.1 mpg after leaving Kingman. Our U300 performed great and left over 20 big rigs, one HR and a tour bus in our wake on the grades. How's that for maturity? The roof panels also worked great with a max of 580 watts seen out of the 1140 watts possible from the winter sky. The generator was not used in the 3 weeks.

Quartzsite: Quartzsite Rally 2014
Organ Pipe: Organ Pipe N.M. Campground
Puerto Penasco: Puerto Penasco 2014
Homeward Bound: Homeward Bound 2014

Pierce

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #1 – February 05, 2014, 11:20:13 pm

Hi Pierce. Looks like a great adventure. Thanks for the pictures. Mark

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #2 – February 06, 2014, 12:29:08 am

Pierce,
Thanks for posting the pictures of your adventures. By the way the seats look great!

Greg

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #3 – February 06, 2014, 01:00:33 am

@Pierce Thanks for the update and pics. It was great meeting you and Gaylie in Quartzsite. We hope to be coming by your place later this spring. Will give a shout out when we get close.

see ya
ken

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #4 – February 06, 2014, 01:45:21 am

Sweet update on the chairs! Thanks for the reports on PP it sounds like a fun place... And thanks for the pictures, Tys & I had a great time there and will hopefully be trying your hill going forward on the way up to Canada in the late Spring or on the way back who knows when

Don & Tys

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #5 – February 06, 2014, 06:22:25 am

WHO IS OWNED BY THAT AIREDALE?

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #6 – February 06, 2014, 10:39:47 am

Glad you all enjoyed the pics. What a fun time. Yes, stop in in Spring. Will be gone until mid April but should be home after that. Auburn is just a stone's throw away. Don, how did the "Air Force One" installation work out? Ken, thermostat? Cure?

Forgot to say that there was a '92 or '93 U280 or U300 sitting next to a Mexican insurance office in Ajo, AZ. Wonder if the owner sells Mex insurance (and offers a discount)? Was #11272 Had been there a while.

Roland, missed taking your dog's photo. He was as big as K & T and had lots of energy.

Pierce

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #7 – February 06, 2014, 10:52:22 am

You really know how to hurt a guy who could not make the trip!

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #8 – February 06, 2014, 10:53:11 am

Great photos and write up. Fun to see PP and Pipe Organ shots and of course everyone at Q.

Love the seats and the details and nice work done.

Hope we can put a winter trip out west together next year ourselves.

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #9 – February 06, 2014, 11:28:45 am

Quote from: Lon and Cheryl – February 06, 2014, 06:22:25 am

WHO IS OWNED BY THAT AIREDALE?

That would be me...

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #10 – February 06, 2014, 11:53:33 am

Thanks for the write up on PP. Looks like we will be going there once we leave Slab City. We had ordered sheepskin seat covers from a gal in Colorado, but it did not work out, horrible fit and very poor workmanship. AND for more than you paid to have the seats redone. Guess we will be paying Senor Munoz a visit.

Don't think Sampson was there for the photo op.

Roland

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #11 – February 06, 2014, 03:20:14 pm

I seem to remember seeing that GV for a few years at that spot as we passed by on way to Mexico border heading to San Carlos and south.
John H

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #12 – February 06, 2014, 06:54:34 pm

I need new seat covers. I don't want new seats because we both love the OE seats but the leather (or whatever) covering is shredded on the passenger side and worn on the driver's side. We suspect someone had a pet that got into the passenger seat. It's comfortable enough, just looks bad. So it appears that next year a PP trip is in order. Hated missing this one; not least because the x/c ski trip had nothing but icy trails (although the family visiting was good).

Nice pics.

Craig

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #13 – February 06, 2014, 07:22:15 pm

Sounds good Pierce! The Air Force One worked great once I crawled underneath and rerouted air lines and moved the metered air supply to the service brake can instead of the parking brake (spring) can. I don't believe that the installer inspite of his insistence to the contrary really had even a basic understanding of how air brakes work, let alone our air disc brakes. Once he ran into a situation that didn't fit into his cut and paste world, he was just guessing. He did follow through with a check for the tires though, so at least in the end he owned up to his mistake (after he tried to tell me on the phone that I told him to put it there).
Don

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – February 06, 2014, 10:39:47 am

Glad you all enjoyed the pics. What a fun time. Yes, stop in in Spring. Will be gone until mid April but should be home after that. Auburn is just a stone's throw away. Don, how did the "Air Force One" installation work out? Ken, thermostat? Cure?
Pierce

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #14 – February 06, 2014, 07:24:43 pm

Need new upholstery too..

This might be nieve, Is leather available?

Leave the coach or stay there?

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #15 – February 06, 2014, 09:43:38 pm

Pierce, do you remember which so cal Elks lodge that was?
That was a great write up on your trip. Loved the pictures.

Richard B

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #16 – February 06, 2014, 10:37:45 pm

Richard,

No idea. Just heard they were coming and then they started trickling in. WiFi was so-so before they got there but terrible after all of them arrived. One had a fifth wheel, disconnected from the mechanical part but forgot the electrical when he pulled away. Bummer.

Don,

I always like to take digital photos after I have used my P-touch Brother labeler. So easy to put the wrong line in the wrong place. Also goes for electrical where the OEM codes have faded out and also the cables from the satellite, bat wing, etc. Especially tough when the pressure is on like doing it in the dirt in the middle of the desert.

Fouroureye,

No, leather is also a good choice. I purchased several hides from a California leather company and took a BMW interior to Mexicali to have it done.

I have heard that our front seats will take three hides to do. Lots of piping if you want the OEM look. The vinyl Foretravel used was very thin but worked really well for making tight 90 degree corners and had excellent definition. No animal was responsible in one of the posts for the seat being torn, it just comes apart after a few years. Not the best stuff to start with. The best way is to have plenty of lead time to research types of leather and also vinyl. Mexico does not have any perforated material so it would have to be taken with you. Perforated patterns are available in both leather and vinyl. Just have to figure how much perforated and how much plain. I went with a little thicker vinyl as it will last a lot longer and has a leather look to it. Other vinyls even have a distressed leather look. Some of my new Mercedes orders could not be changed as it was too late before they made the car and they arrived with MB-Tex. This is a last forever vinyl that matches Mercedes leather exactly, so exact that I could look at it, feel it and still not be able to tell which was which. To make some owners happy, I would put a raw piece of leather up into the bottom of the seat to make it smell real. There is a lot to learn about the materials if you want to be totally in control but I'm pretty picky and thought the choice of materials was good as well as the work.

They will come to the park to remove the seats, do the job and return and install in just 2 to 4 days, depending on if they have to order the material. The seats come out in 5 minutes each with a simple electrical connection and using a 1/2" wrench, removing 4 nuts. Best to define exactly how you want the job done and then stop in a couple of times with a concerned look to make sure it goes according to plan. Even better would to take a seat out, drive to several shops and get competitive quotes. I went by the recommendations of park residents and was very happy with both the material and workmanship. Dave Muňoz speaks excellent english (like most everyone) so you could call in advance. I had to work on the price for a few minutes but think $550 was fair for everyone.

Workers will come and do just about anything to the coach in the park. Painting stripes, repairs, detailing, etc. Everyone is in a good mood there. Tourism is slow now after the big crash and everyone needs work. Not super cheap like it used to be with $0.14/gallon diesel as fuel costs the same in Mexico as here so prices are up quite a bit but still much less expensive than here.

I had an older Mexican fellow do a lot of work for me in Santa Barbara. He always called me "Commodore". Have to say although it was not PC, I loved it.

Pierce

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #17 – February 06, 2014, 10:50:40 pm

Pierce,

Great pics/vids of y'all at Camp Foretravel in Quartzite. A must attend event for us all in the future.

The seats look like new. Did you get any estimates on the dash or the sofa? The grand villa next to the office looks like yours before you skinned it! Do you know what floorplan it had?

Jerry aka Murph

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #18 – February 06, 2014, 10:58:12 pm

Thanks Pierce

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #19 – February 06, 2014, 11:29:32 pm

Quote from: coastprt – February 06, 2014, 10:50:40 pm

Pierce,

Great pics/vids of y'all at Camp Foretravel in Quartzite. A must attend event for us all in the future.

The seats look like new. Did you get any estimates on the dash or the sofa? The grand villa next to the office looks like yours before you skinned it! Do you know what floorplan it had?

Jerry aka Murph

Jerry,

Thanks.

No, but with a little research with the roof number, seems like it could be found out.

Going to do the sofa and recliner in fabric but we can't agree on the pattern yet. Will figure it out by next year if not on an earlier trip. Paint is next.

P

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #20 – February 07, 2014, 03:54:07 am

Quote from: Ed – February 06, 2014, 11:28:45 am

That would be me...

GREAT DOGS! GREAT CHOICE!
We have 4 dogs, 2 are Airedales. Have had many over the years. My Mother is one of the top Airedale breeders in the world (Stoneridge Airedales).
My Yellow lab and Boxer/Akita mix don't understand the Airedales. Only the Airedales understand the Airedales, But I'm sure I'm not telling you something you don't already know.
Thus the question" Who is owned by the Airedale".
Hope to see you and your "big baby" down the road.

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #21 – February 07, 2014, 06:24:18 am

I found the Cavaliers are the easiest to travel with. Small and don't take too much space. Now who else but great dogs can get their owner to by a Foretravel. I second the who owns who on just about any breed.

Re: Photos from Quartzsite 2014

Reply #22 – February 07, 2014, 09:25:32 am

Quote from: John S – February 07, 2014, 06:24:18 am

I found the Cavaliers are the easiest to travel with. Small and don't take too much space. Now who else but great dogs can get their owner to by a Foretravel. I second the who owns who on just about any breed.

Nothing like a miniature schnauzer for travel... lap-size, no shedding, overly-friendly! The photo below says the rest...

Affiliate Notice