I did lots of thinking about the trip so far and the trip to come today; biking always helps me think.

Pictures are here.

Went out to Tombstone’s own Boothill first thing this morning. It got very cold and windy and then started raining. So, I retired (gracefully, I thought) to the moho where I found my mouse was in distress and I had no AAA batteries. After a quick trip to the CircleK the mouse was happy again.

I called DISH network about still not having my local channels and this time the person I spoke to, Debbie, noticed that they had my local channels set for Livingston, TX. She reset them to the location I’m currently at, and all is well. Note to self: when getting set up at a new site, let DISH know where I am so they can send me the correct local channels.

The Super Bowl was, well, Super. I was rooting for the Saints because Drew Brees used to play for the Chargers, the Saints have never been to the Super Bowl before, and I like rooting for the underdog. Geaux Saints!

On a more personal note: I’m not having as much fun on this trip as I want to. I’ve tried to shake things up a bit but it’s not working. A huge part of my dissatisfaction is that I’m doing this by myself – when I always pictured taking this trip with my special someone. Who I left behind.

I also have a nagging health issue that is starting to worry me. It might turn out to be nothing serious, but not knowing is not good.

So here’s where I am: not having fun, worried about a health issue, not liking having nothing to do, feeling isolated, and not liking being rootless. For this I closed my business, said goodbye to my friends, and made some possibly dumb financial moves.

What to do now…

Pictures are here.

Now that’s a city motto.

Drove around the non-touristy parts of town this morning, then went on the Good Enough Mine tour, had lunch at the Six Gun Saloon and watched historical re-enactments of some of Tombstone’s most famous gunfights, took the Trolley historical tour, and visited the Tombstone Courthouse museum. Interesting place.

Came home and processed mail, watched a movie, and called it a day.

Pictures are here.

It was an easy trip, once I got through the accident traffic on I10. Getting the satellite up and running wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Went pretty well, actually.

Walked around Tombstone for a bit, then off to the post office to pick a month’s worth of mail. I’ve got some sorting, filing and responding to catch up on.

First I had to find someone close by that would outright sell me a DISH HD receiver. I had to go through a couple of local providers before I found someone that understood this was for an RV installation and that I only needed a receiver and that I needed to buy it outright, not rent it from them. If you need DISH help in the Tucson area, get a hold of the guys at  MARSATS.

Once I got back to moho, I needed to remove any splitters in the line (since they don’t pass power and the sat receiver is what powers the LNB in the sat dish) and install ‘blue core’ F81 connectors in their place. Once I figured which cable went to the outside of the moho and which one went to where the TV is, I was set. The antenna I got uses 12V to run the motors that automagically position the antenna everytime it comes on. For now, I’m using one of the internal 12V outlets and running the cord out a window to the antenna. I’ll install a 12V outlet next to the incoming coax connection under the moho in the future.

After a while on the phone with DISH, my receiver was authorized and I’m watching DISH in HD.

The only loss for the day was not being able to get any of the DISH remote codes to work my with TV, so I’m stuck using two remotes for now.

I headed to Camping World and picked up a supply-side water filter, some more disposable gloves, a 12 volt extension cord to use with the inverter and a portable satellite dish.

Since it was kind of a rainy day, I stopped by Blockbuster and picked up three movies.

Tomorrow I’ll get the whole satellite thing working. After I pick up a satellite receiver.

Got settled and set up, then went into town did laundry and grocery shopping. Had a bit of a late lunch early dinner at the camp site, went for a walk, and spent some time reading. A nice relaxing day.

Then over the Kartchner Caverns State Park. They’ve done an incredible amount of work trying to preserve this cave system while still allowing the public to see it. Highly recommended, even though they don’t let you take any pictures.

Pictures are here.

Travel day tomorrow, heading up into the mountains north of Tucson.

Tucson on a Sunday morning is bike-crazy. About 90% road bikes, lots of groups, and even some families all in spandex. Folks on bikes were pretty much everywhere in north eastern Tucson and the Rincon Valley.

Went to the eastern side of Saguaro National Park today. The park is in two halves separated by 30 miles and the city of Tucson. I did the basic desert ecology hikes and also the scenic drive. Sat for a while under the fast moving clouds, thinking about stuff.

Drove on out to the Colossal Cave and did the tour. Neat place, the CCC did a lot of work in the cave during the 30’s getting it ready for tours.

Dinner and then a movie at the motoro rounded out my day.

Pictures are here.