“USA 🇺🇸 ~ Kingman, Arizona and a Delayed Departure -EXACTLY What We Needed!”

• April 25, 2023
• By Pen
• 2 Comments

On our final night, Kingman, Arizona had to send us off with one more gorgeous sunset!

As it would turn out, we could not leave Kingman on the day we had hoped to; a g a i n, after we got possession of Jonah, because the new bike rack Daryl ordered for the different tow-hitch set-up, did not arrive on time. So, we stayed and waited.
BUT, It ended up being EXACTLY what we needed. We just had so much fun and it was very relaxing, after all.
You know what they say; “God laughs when we make plans.” He always knows what we need, before we do.
It has been so stressful on this third visit to Kingman, where we were both out of sorts; waiting another 1.5 months for Jonah. (12 months total), being without a car to go do fun things in, was a colossal drag.

We finally feel carefree, once again. We got our car back. The Needles DMV visit, in California was a great success, as we got our plates! Jonah’s a California girl, now!

ALL OF THIS will be critical to be able to cross into Canada and head for Alaska next month!!

Now, we can just play again….something we have missed, and something we are very good at!
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On Sunday night, we drove to the Dambar Steak House on “Andy DeVine Avenue;” aka Route 66. We had a delicious Prime Rib dinner, relaxed some more, laughed and had great conversation ❤️

The Duke was there to greet us

⬆️ Does the name Andy DeVine sound familiar to any of you, our age or older, perhaps? If the name doesn’t ring a bell, I know the voice would, if you heard hime, and maybe the face.
He was a robust character actor in many, many old western movies.

Andrew Vabre “Andy” Devine was an American character actor and comic cowboy sidekick, known for his distinctive raspy voice. It was not always like that, though.
Born in Flagstaff, Arizona on October 7, 1905, Andy Devine grew up in nearby Kingman, where his family moved when he was a year old. His father was Thomas Devine Jr., born in 1869 in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.

Devine claimed that his distinctive voice resulted from a childhood accident in which he fell while running with a curtain rod in his mouth at the Beale Hotel in Kingman, (which his father owned) causing the rod to pierce the roof of his mouth. When he was able to speak again, he had a labored, scratchy, duo-tone voice.
Andy is probably best remembered for his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in ten feature films. He also appeared alongside John Wayne in films like Stagecoach (1939), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and How the West Was Won (both 1962). He is also remembered as Jingles on the TV series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok from 1951 to 1958; and too many films to list, here.
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The next day, we were up early and out the door to get to the DMV in Needles, California. We had to get Jonah Vin-Checked, before we could get her plates.  

We enjoyed the top down, as it was sunny, warm and just about perfect!

This was also a very important 2-hour road trip, to test run, Jonah. It was good also to blow the carbons out, burn off some oil and grease spots, dissipate some new applied paint smells, and overall begin to break her new motor in.
I (we) never went over 60 mph and that’s just fine.
Breaking in new motors, one must go slow. 

⬆️ We saw plenty of Springtime blooms of mostly, yellow, some pink and some purple in the desert, and it was gorgeous!

⬆️ Another stop in Needles, was to buy some local honey YUM!

Back in Kimgman, Arizona, after Needles, California, we did return Jonah to the VW shop, for overnight, as we needed to get new seat belts installed, a front bumper license plate bracket put on, get a fix on the cable for the trunk latch, and to get a loose emblem plate locked down.
That’s a short list and we are thrilled.

We did get the new bike rack delivered, finally, so when we get Jonah back, on the same morning we depart, we will hook her up and tow her, since we do not feel the need to test drive her any more.
Besides, I really prefer being with the Big Guy in The Whale, together, as we drive to new destinations.

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Next Big Test ⬇️

Towing!!

I’m not gonna lie, I’ve got some anxiety about this. It will only be a 3.5 hour drive day, so that’s easy.

Key in ignition ✅ Brake off ✅ In Neutral ✅…. Should be good. We have a camera on the dash of The Whale, and I’m so grateful for that fact, so we can watch as we go.

⬆️ Camera viewing screen works better than it looks, here

To start out, whilst in the campground, I will walk along and watch the Bug, to the exit. Daryl wants me in the Bug to do this…umm no thx 🤣
It’s like anything else; in time, we get used to new things, and soon, this will become commonplace, as  part of our traveling routine.

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By April 27th, we will be done with another stop at our house, to drop off the bike and bike racks. Then, we begin our trip, North, to Oregon.
We have no scheduled stops, and will wing a couple nights at a campground, while still in California. I’m sure we can find a spot as the weather isn’t that great, yet. 

 So, Oregon, here we come!!!