Pic-of-the-Week for July 6, 2017

Wow!  What a busy week of June 25^th!  The weather got hotter, and we decide to try to head North as soon as we could.  We wanted to be North of the border by the morning of the 3^rd of July so we could get replacement tires for the car trailer.  We think the ones on the trailer have been recalled.  Ben put in long days working to get everything ready so we could leave by Friday the 30^th. 

Also, Ben was still trying to get as much done on the Willys Jeep as he could.  Then on June 26^th the fellow welding the Jeep’s gas tank back together after getting the inside of the tank sand blasted gave Ben a call asking if he could come in about 1 hour, to the welding shop, to help put the tank back in the Jeep.  Well, a lot can go wrong in 1 hour.  He started to patch 2 leaks, and the tank BLEW UP!  He was a lucky guy that he was not hurt worse than he was!  So much for having the Jeep running by the time we left.  Now it needs a new gas tank manufactured.

As we probably mentioned in an earlier blog, we installed some new windows and window frames in our house a few weeks ago.  The changed windows are different from the old ones, so Ben had to modify the shutters for those windows and one sliding glass door.  More hard work on hot days.

 [He thinks I had time to take pictures of us hauling these shutters back and forth to make sure they fit proper.  Hah!  Instead, here's a picture of Eleanor helping him to  fill in the bolt holes.  She handed him the bolts and washers for each hole...very helpful! ]

We finally left Buena Vista on Friday, the 30^th of June as planned.  Our friend and house cleaner is house sitting for us this summer and taking care of Sam and Zoey.  This will be a different summer for us as we will be “dog-less”.  [In this photo we are just ready to leave, and they said, "Wait a minute....we're not in the truck!  Where are our beds?"]


We did have what we thought was a slow leak in one trailer tire, so we filled the tire with air before we left home, and by the time we arrived in La Paz (a 1 ½ hour trip), we had lost about ½ the air pressure.  Ben knew that would never do on our trip, so we stopped at a tire shop and had them check the tire for the leak.  We discovered a nail in the tire, which was fixed in about 20 minutes for about $6.00 US Dollars, and we were on our way with no detectable leak the rest of our trip. 

We arrived back in Bend on the 4^th of July.  A 5 day, 2000-mile trip.  That is pushing it for us.  Harriet is making Ben promise to take her to a newly discovered hotel in San Ignacio on the return trip this fall. 

A few details on the trip……

First night stayed at the El Moro Hotel in Santa Rosalia.  We checked in and then took a taxi to the heart of the town to a wonderful seafood restaurant.  [This is a picture our friend George took of the hotel with his drone when he and Ben went north in early May.]

Second night at Hotel El Jardine in San Quintin.  It looks like a hotel set in a beautiful park setting.  Nice rooms and nice restaurant as part of the hotel area.

The 3^rd night at Victorville, CA.  The most notable thing that day (Sunday, part of the 4^th of July weekend), was the extremely long auto line at customs, plus once we crossed, we had to walk back to Mexican Immigration and get our exit documentation since Ben may need to fly down if a hurricane is headed to our area this summer. 

The 4^th night was in Reno, NV visiting with Mike and Mary, good friends from Los Barriles.  Always an enjoyable evening with great hosts!

The 5^th evening was back home to our home away from home in Bend, OR.  5 long driving days.  

 [View from the living room window at Ken and Bea's house (Ben's brother) of the Three Sisters.]

Are you are wondering why we took the car trailer with us to Oregon?  Well, about 2 days before we were to leave for Oregon, we got word that a longtime friend of the Purkey Family decided that she wanted to sell her 1930 Model A Ford Roadster with a Rumble Seat to us.  This was a topic that had been discussed with her quite a while ago, and we thought that she had decided against selling.  It came as a REAL surprise when we got the word that she was going to sell it to us.  Now Ben will have two vehicle projects to work on when we return to Mexico in the fall.  This could keep Ben busy this summer also.  [Once it's all pretty and running good, I'm claiming this one! - HP]  

That is about it for this Pic-of-the-Week.  We hope you enjoyed the attached photos!  [I will start a July 2017 album soon.  Not much in it yet!  HP]

Ben, & Harriet without Sam and Zoey