Feb. 3, 2011 Antioch, CA -- Lab Tests and Doctor Visit.

We had wonderful news this week. Larry’s kidney test came in at the best level in 3 years! His creatinine level has fallen to 2.5. The doctors are asking: Where is that Shangri-La land you are visiting?

They are as surprised at his results as we are. The diet control and life-style modifications are working. Larry has not taken an aspirin or Tylenol in about 8 years, which I think has helped too. He is still in stage 4 of CKD, but we have stepped back a bit further from the cliff edge. Life is good this week!

We have been staying at the Contra Costa County Fairground in Antioch, CA. The price and location work for us. Escapees receive a 15% discount so our nightly fee is $17. This park is not for everyone. It is noisy with both trains whistles and sirens close by and in a less desirable neighborhood than Sugar Barge Resort.

For us, the proximity to our medical offices, my dad’s house and shopping make it an ideal location. In the past week, I have been to Costco, our storage locker, and Wal-Mart 3 times, and to Canned Food Outlet (for great Danish jam), Trader Joe’s, Safeway and the medical offices and pharmacy twice. I washed the blankets and rugs and all our laundry. We are done with doctors' visits for a few months and ready to leave for Quartzsite, AZ, tomorrow morning.

Site # 1 at the CCC Fairground RV park.

And here are the rest of the sites. As we said, it isn’t fancy, but it is convenient.

Meanwhile, while back in Quartzsite, I didn’t get around to sharing more of the essentials of “existing” in the desert. Here are few photos of the “essentials.”

.”

Once a week we drive 2 miles south and 1 mile back in on the BLM land where we can dump our tanks, fill our water tanks and dispose of garbage.

During the Big Tent show, the line for using the dump facilities can be a bit long. We had driven right up and waited about 15 minutes while the line just grew--and grew--behind us. Glad we were early that day.

After dumping, the next station is for fresh water.

The BLM has two faucets at each spigot so two rigs can fill at once and 4 separate stations for a total of 8 RVs at a time. The dumpsters are next to the water faucets on the east side of the road.

And they do fill all the dumpsters during the heavy period when the big tent is open.

These services are included in the BLM’s 14-day permit and annual permit fees. For those who don’t want to drive their rig down to the dump station, there are local companies who come to the RVs.

Our neighbors with a fifth-wheel trailer pay to have their black-water tank pumped every two weeks to avoid moving the trailer. Most RVers who pay to have the pump truck bring the fresh water in from the BLM faucets in 55-gallon white plastic drums and pump it into their tanks.

And that is how a large number of RVs take care of the essentials while living in the desert on the BLM permit land. Rvers staying in the “14-day free zone” have to pay commercial businesses in town, like the Pit Stop, for dumping tanks and filling fresh water tanks. I heard that it that runs about $20 a week.

We are anxious to get “home” to our spot in Qaurtzsite. We should be back parked next to our inviting green-grass patio rugs by Sunday. We expect only blue skies, warm weather, and gentle breezes for the next month or two. Oh, and short lines at the dump station again now that the big tent show is almost over.