New Tooth, New Hat….New Rig??!
Just a quick post today to finish up our stay in Yuma this past week. On Wednesday we had the lovely RV Sue over for dinner, allowing Paul to show off his cooking skills and all of us to enjoy a fabulous evening chat. The next day we knocked across the border with our new buddies Kelly & Mike to get my new crown installed. We celebrated the event with $1 tacos at one of the (very) local taco joints and margaritas strong enough to put hair on your chest. The latter got everyone so relaxed they ALL signed up for teeth cleanings, and once my pearly whites were once again gorgeous I topped off the event with a brand new $15 hat.
New tooth + new hat = all is right with the world again.
I’m extremely pleased with my new crown. Excellent fit and no more food under the gums. I have a feeling this will be the “keeper” and I’m still very happy with Dr. Eva Urena. She does careful cosmetic work and I’d definitely recommend her to others for the same.
With the raging success of my new “makeover” we decided to go ahead and get one for the rig too. In case you didn’t know it Yuma is actually one of the cheapest place in the entire country to get a wash and wax for the RV. For our rig size a basic wash runs around $35 while full wash n’ hand wax runs $120-$130. This is compared to $350-$400 just about anywhere else! Most of the teams use RO water (Reverse Osmosis = prevents spots from the local ultra-hard water) and hand-wax with Maguire’s wax. There are slews of guys offering these services in the local “White Sheets” (a free advertising handout which you can find at the laundromat or other such places), and they all have pretty decent reputations. Most of them service RV parks, but a few will meet you at your boondocking site or in town. I’d gotten several recommendations of Robert’s RV Wash & Wax (928-919-4881) from the forums and agreed to meet him downtown on Sat AM. He arrived with a team of 3 guys and within a few hours “the beast” was dreamy clean. The job wasn’t perfect, but our girl looks infinitely better and we were very happy with the results. For the price it really can’t be beat.
Not quite a new rig….but aaaaalmost (did I have you going?)!
That’s it for Yuma sunsets. Yesterday we arrived in the massive & utter nuttiness that is Quartzsite and for the first time EVER we’ve joined a group. I have a feeling we’ll be leaving this place with a few $$ less in our pockets, but a load more friends. More on that to come…..
Hi Nina….we are also.at the crazy Q…out on Dome Rock Rd. And lovin it!
Enjoying your posts! Met you at lighthouse#1 last summer.
Lynne and David
It’s a popular place to be. Nice to see ya on the blog again! This ain’t quite green & lovely Oregon, but it’s got it’s own special draw.
Nina
We’re in Quartzsite right now, too, along with 100,000 of our closest friends!
Actually we’re here with the Montana Owners Club. We’re having a blast but will be heading home tomorrow after boondocking here a week. And yes, the sunsets have been gorgeous!
We’d love to run into you but that would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Yeah, I think 100,000 is just about right. This place is PACKED!! It’s fun to see so many rigs (of all sizes) out boondocking. Some of the set-ups are just amazing.
Nina
I too need a dental visit and appreciate your info. I need a root canal and crown, about $2000 here in NC. Hope I can get this done this spring, it doesnt hurt but acvording to the dentist it is or has absessed in the past. Like the hat too, badically a cowboy hat and we all know all that is cowboy is good. Walk in beauty, Bill
You’ll definitely save a ton by doing it in Los Algodones. I thoroughly recommend it.
Nina
P.S. I love Cowboy hats (and Cowboy stories too)! Must’ve been a Cowgirl in a past life.
I always thought you had a beautiful smile. Looks even brighter now.
Enjoy the Q!
Awww shucks…thank you 🙂 I think Paul was happy to see the toothless Nina go however.
Nina
My wife and I have bought a 33.5 foot fifth wheel and a f350 dually. We have our house on the market and hope to sell by spring so we can hit the road. I love your blog have learned some things and can’t wait to read more about your adventures. We are in are mid 40s and looking forward to a change in lifestyle.
Oh excellent! Congrats on your upcoming adventures. We’re meeting more and more folks our age on the road. It’s a fun convergence.
Nina
Indeed, younger folks are making this a lifestyle. Thank goodness, as it’s nice to have fresh new thoughts and ideas.
Love it all….the tooth, the hat and the nice shiny rig!!!!
Thanks…I’m pretty happy with all three.
Nina
Yes you did have me going with the new rig in the title.
-Roger
LOL…I figured I’d get a few of ya with that comment.
Nina
You should go to Dr. Urena’s website and leave a referral. Thanks for the information about her. Definitely something I’ll look into when we get over to that area.
Good point. I’ll go do that. Seems my blog is getting the word out pretty well too. When I made my reservation to go see Dr.Urena and told them what my name was, the guy said “Oh, you’re the WheelingIt blog!”. Seems they’ve been getting quite a few referrals from my site. I love it!!
Nina
Thoroughly enjoy your web site, very informative – envy you the lovely weather, we live near Niagara Falls. Ontario, and it’s freezing – hopefully this time next year we’ll be on the road – we’re heading out for a year+. First stop Arizona, California, and who knows where else – can’t wait. We’re in our 70’s in good health and decided to sell up and travel while we still can. You’re making it a lot easier – please keep up the super articles. We’re ALWAYS happy when travelling in our rv.
Gerry
Good luck w/ all your travel plans!! If you love RVing it makes sense to do it while you’re still in good health. I see far too many people wait until it’s “too late”. Keep warm up there!
Nina
Glad your new crown fits well. I got my first one when we were back in PA in Sept.
Love the new hat!
Sounded like Sue had a fun dinner. I don’t think the crew agreed, however!:)
Yeah, that crew was NOT happy when we left! I think they forgave her pretty quickly when she got home again tho’ 🙂
Nina
Ha ha you did get me going there! wicked. Have fun in Q and eager to hear what’s new out there this year.
Had our first walk around the tent today. Mostly the usual vendors around. The new “thing” in the kitchen department is silicone tops (for cooking, storing food) that attach through suction..there’s about 4 booths all selling them.
Nina
I’ll admit, I panicked! The beast really????? You definitely sucked me in. Super hat, beautiful smile, great price on a rig spiff up. You are on a roll. With that luck, you’re bound to find some super bargains in Q. Can’t wait to hear about it.
I think I may already have found a fair few things to spend my moolah on down here. No-one ever gets out of here without shelling out the $$ LOL.
Nina
You look fabulous! love the hat too. That is hysterical that everyone signed up for teeth cleanings after margaritas! LOL. I would have signed up too 🙂
Yeah we were all pretty happy and easy going after the drinks. Paul barely registered his filling.
Nina
I heard just today that one of they guys here at parker dam just paid $400 for a wash and wax on his 5th wheel….
I don’t think I have the heart to tell him what you paid.
$300-$400 is pretty much the “going” rate just about everywhere else for a big rig. I never imagined you could get it done this inexpensively until we got to Yuma, AZ. I’m sure the quality of your friend’s $400 job was top notch, but it’s hard to beat the price here in the desert.
Nina
Funny – just today Roberts RV Wash & Wax was nearby cleaning a rig here at La Posa West, and I snapped a photo of the truck so I’d have the phone number. Nice to hear they do a good job. My little rig badly needs a good wash and wax.
Love the hat – looks like my old fishing hat.
Now that the dental stuff is done, you can relax and enjoy the sun and friends. And you’re in the right place for it, that’s for sure. 🙂
Oh how interesting! I had no idea he came to Quartzsite. He’s totally self-contained so I guess it makes sense that he can go anywhere. Funny coincidence.
Nina
So, I am assuming that Robert’s is a recommendation. If that is the case, we will be looking for them as soon as we reach Yuma! As of right this minute, we are in Red Bay, Alabama awaiting the final touches to the painting of our body damage….then we head west! We will really need a wash and wax to make the rest of the motorhome look as good as the repaired part.
So happy for you that you got your bath and wax job. We missed you in Q last year, met you quickly in Oregon, and will miss you once more in Q. Hummmm, something familiar here?????
Yup we were happy with them! I’d recommend them to others.
Funny trend on the travels…:)
Nina
Hey Paul and Nina. I don’t know if you remember us from our stop in Cape Blanco. We’re in Quartzsite too, out at Dome Rock. Love your blog as always and hope we can meet up again sometime.
Heya Mike! Lovely to hear from you. Hope you’re enjoying the craziness here! It’s alot of fun if you go w/ the flow.
Nina
When you said tacos and margaritas…I was ready to pack my bags and head for Yuma. I want to see if I can grow more hair on my chest…and “margarita therapy” is as good a way as any!!!
Paul claims the Margarita “diet” does wonders for him haha…
Nina
You had me goin’ there for a second or two on the rig, then I thought “nah, no way”. Glad to hear you are still liking your dentist. We will give her a try when we are next in AZ. I’m diggin’ the new hat. It’s definitely you! 🙂 Enjoy the craziness of Quartzsite. We are going to have to give it a whirl at least once.
I think you guys would enjoy it here, plus I think it’s something every RVer should try at least once. Even if you don’t like shopping it’s fun to see the thousands of rigs boondocking in the desert.
Nina
Freaked me out as well. I thought, “No way they would get rid of their beloved rig”. Hey Nina..we spoke a month or so ago about my blog which covers my dental trip to Costa Rica. I just returned home yesterday after being in CR for 2 weeks getting my entire upper mouth reconstructed and it couldn’t have gone better. Also had some work done on my lowers such as gum surgery.
Anyhow glad your crown work came out looking great and not allowing food under it…that is indeed a nice fit with tight margins.
Thanks for letting me post my blog and I hope that it helps those who might be on the fence about traveling to another country for dental care. It was truly an amazing experience for me.
http://www.thedentaltourist.blogspot.com
Cheers for the follow-up! If you get this response, go ahead and post your update in the comments on my Mexico blog post. People are more likely to see it there as they scan the comments. That post gets alot of hits.
Nina
We have spent some serious money in Q this year! Jim had a crown fall off just yesterday so it looks like we’ll be doing more than just getting our teeth cleaned when we get to Algodones next week. It’s always something!
Hope you have fun camping with the group. As much as we enjoy boondocking by ourselves, it’s always fun to hang out with other owners of like RVs to see what mods they’ve done and what kind of problems they’ve experienced.
Argh! Bummer about the crown, but I guess it’s fortuitous that you’re only an hour away from Los Algodones….best place for it to happen really.
We’re in a group of around 32 rigs now…this is more sociable than we’ve been in years!
Nina
Nice to be able to follow your travels. Just wanted to say that I also liked following Paul and the “investing for a living” site. I hope Paul will pick up soon where he left off in October.
Safe Travels,
Kevin D
I’m still working on him to pick it up again. Sadly he got alot of “haters” on that site sending him really nasty comments. He deleted them all, of course, but it saddened him & he lost the impetus to keep blogging. Don’t know why folks would do that, but I think finance-type blogs get alot of that stuff. I know alot of people appreciate his blogging so I’m hoping he’ll get back into it.
Nina
Unfortunatly there are people everywhere who live just to make other peoples lives miserable. They’re called slime-bots. I too got hate mail and deleted it, but in the mean time I have learned how to become a duck. You just have to let the hate (water) roll off your back and keep on truck’n (swimming). I could care less what other people think or feel about my blog. It’s mine, I write it for me to pass on my stories to those who care to read it and glean any information I feel worthwhile to give. Paul, get back to what you do best and be the better man for giving of yourself.
I agree with Kevin’s comments and also like following Paul and the “investing for a living” site. I hope he continues.
Man you had us going on the “New RIG”….Ha, Ha!
Sure is nice to have it washed and waxed. Need to get ours waxed too soon.
Look forward to the Quartzite info you post. Thats on our bucket list when we start “Living the Dream!”
Have fun with all your new Friends!
Quartzsite is a fun place to go. It’s also a great spot to try boondocking (if you’ve never done it before).
Nina
Just had the WOWIE washed and waxed here in Mission, Texas, and all for $125. Four guys, on time, and done in 2 hours. WOWIE!!
Outstanding! That’s on par with Yuma prices. Very good info!!
Nina
Great blog. We plan to visit Dr Eva in late April / early May…and thanks for the tip about the casino parking.
BTW what is “libertatemamo”??? I have googled it and found nothing.
It’s a word we developed from Latin. Lover of freedom, or freedom (libertatem) lover (amo). It kind of matches our life philosophy 🙂
Nina
GREAT message……thanks!!
I must chime in on re-starting Paul’s financial blog. I really miss it and the information he offers. I’ve learned a lot. I’ll be waiting for new emails!
Thanks John. I’ll pass along your comment. I can’t guarantee I can get him back online, but I’ll work on him 🙂
Nina
Nina,
My boyfriend Ralph made a recent trip to Yuma and Dr. Urena for some much needed dental work. After your recommendation for Dr. Urena, much research and phone conversations with Dr. Urena’s office, Ralph decided to get get his work done. Two crowns, two cleanings and bottom teeth whitening, 13 extractions and upper dentures the total bill was $2300. Travel expenses to Yuma (we live in Sacramento) were another $1000 (includes a week in a hotel) for a total of $3300. Now he has his handsome smile back! Thanks for the recommendation…it was very helpful. BTW, Ralph LOVED Dr Urena. He even helped her husband fix her teeth whitening machine. He will return in another two months (hopefully in our RV) for follow up.
Love your blog!
Rochelle
Soooo happy to hear yet another great review of our dentist. It just confirms what we feel about her. Thanks for the follow-up!!
Nina
Do you have any rv park recommendations in Yuma for those of us who don’t qualify for age qualified parks and are bringing our 2 year old along?
We start our big adventure on March 1st and will be heading to Yuma after month long stay in the Casa Grande area to get some dental work done.
We aren’t set up for long time boondocking yet so we do need an RV Park with hookups.
Love your site!
We’ve never stayed at a private park in Yuma so I don’t have any personal recommendations, but I’ve heard good things (from other RVers) about Rivers Edge (just west of Yuma) and Cocopah Bend (in Yuma itself). Here are some links to check:
http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/California/Winterhaven.html
http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/Arizona/Yuma.html
Nina
Thanks for the quick reply. We will check out the parks you mentioned as well as your dentist.
Hello Nina and Paul,
I am just finding your site this morning (July 26, 2015) and am working my way through your posts! 🙂
My husband lost his 10-year job last September, and since then we have been looking at rewriting our lives and getting a trailer. Hubby is still looking for work (sadly) and the house is in escrow (day 17 yesterday) with just a few more things to do before closing in mid-August. So… since he hasn’t found work, we are looking to live in a local campground for a year and see how it goes! I will be heading back after summer break to my aide position in our school district. (Still less expensive to camp than to rent, plus the added bonus of eventually owning our little trailer — that’s what I will be proposing to our potential lender.)
I currently write a blog about living an ethereal lifestyle, more French country with some Shabby Chic thrown in. I am seeing that it will be “morphing” a bit… 😉 Will still have floral comforter covers! And, do you have any plants that you take on the road with you?? Hate to leave all my “friends,” but maybe that’s the way it is. I thought about just a few herbs and a very small rose bush… What are your thoughts?
Thank you for a wonderful blog! I will be looking up Paul’s investing site later-on as that is our new challenge. Thanks again,
Barb 🙂