Our New Year tradition for 10 years has been to leave
Livingston on January 2 to enjoy some fun in the sun of AZ.
However, Dad encountered some new medical issues during the
fall, which required us to remain in Texas.
We got entangled in the hamster wheel known as the “healthcare system”. Mom has managed to stay off the healthcare
merry-go-round. But every few years,
Dad gets on board that carousel that never seems to stop. Dealing with healthcare providers is
frustrating. Our situation is even a bit
more complex since we don’t carry traditional medical insurance and instead
belong to a faith-based health sharing plan.
(Many healthcare providers do not acknowledge these plans, so for
intents and purposes, my parents are self-pay patients.) I’ve learned that patient/advocate proactiveness and
constant follow-up are vital. My parents were constantly
providing the healthcare professionals with information that THEY should have
provided to my parents. There was so much inefficiency that nearly a month was wasted before Dad got his required treatment (and it would have been even longer had Mom not unholstered her New Jersey attitude in her capacity as advocate!)
It amazes me that we can peruse frivolous merchandise on
Amazon, place an order, have it filled/shipped by Amazon, and have it in our
hands within a matter of days. Yet, the
healthcare industry, which is responsible for curing and saving human lives,
lacks that efficiency and timeliness. Like
why the heck do they still fax orders for tests, referrals, etc., which
ultimately never seem to reach their intended receiver. And then the blame game starts: one provider
states emphatically that it was sent, but the receiver is adamant they don’t
have the order.
And while I am airing my grievances, it is incomprehensible
to me the games played with medical billing.
Why does an emergency room charge $5,000+ for a 1.5 hour stay yet be
willing to accept only 20% of that amount as “fair” payment. Or that Dad's E.R. health professionals charged a
minimum of $2,121 for “medical decision making” based on tier of condition (even
when their decision resulted in not providing the service recommended by Dad’s doctor
who instructed Dad to present to the E.R.). Yet they automatically wrote
off 90% of the bill as the self-pay amount.
OK, this Rambling RV Rat is done ranting! But I sure am glad the rodentia world is far less complicated.
The good news is that Dad is all fixed up and doing
great! And in between all the medical
chaos, we enjoyed our dance and volunteer activities and spent more time with friends.
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Our dance family presented us with a "going away" gift. We love our Hot Steppers Dance Group!
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Best of all, we were able to return to our planned trip to Quartzsite,
AZ! We hightailed it out of TX just 2 days before the crazy ice storm hit. We
took our usual route of I-10 to US-90 outside of San Antonio, which kept us
out of Hill Country and the typical colder weather. Then we got back on I-10 for the remainder of our trip.
We made our standard overnight stops (boondocking at
Escapees Lone Star Corral, Hondo, TX for $5; free boondocking at Ghost Lights
Observation Center, Marfa, TX; full hook up supersized site at Escapees Dream
Catcher RV Park, Deming, NM for $36, where we filled our water tanks/dumped our
wastewater/did laundry). We
experienced ice/freezing temperatures driving through Van Horn, TX. Thereafter
through Deming, NM we encountered heavy rain/cold/fog. I was amazed at how much precipitation the
area received—the desert floor looked like a lake! But once we reached the AZ border, we were
greeted with blue skies and warmer temperatures (though the conditions of
the roadways were horrendous. Huge holes
everywhere!)
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Since we have taken this route many times, we have exhausted most of our roadside attractions. But here is a new one to share with you. Uvalde, TX, birthplace of actor (and huge fan of the University of Texas Longhorns) Matthew McConaughey. Alright, Alright, Alright!
 | | In 2027 TX will no longer be able to boast that it is home to the largest Buc-ee's. That honor will go to FL, when a new 76,245-square-foot Buc-ee's opens in Ft. Pierce. But TX still holds the record for the SMALLEST Buc-ee's, located outside of Sanderson, TX. |
 | | The unique rock formations within Texas Canyon in Cochise, AZ... |
 | | ...remind me of the Flintstones and their town of Bedrock. |
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Picacho Peak is one hike we will NEVER attempt. It is rated a 4.8 out of 5 in difficulty and requires a vertical climb using cables. It is not for the faint of heart or those fearful of heights.
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Our journey was not trouble-free--Big Boomer busted an
anti-freeze hose just outside of Del Rio. This was the third occurrence in the last 3 years, all involving different hoses (and the third consecutive year in which we encountered a problem enroute to Quartzsite! This is not the kind of trifecta you want to
get!) Thankfully, Dad had the
parts/tools to do another repair. But
poor Mom—this was the second time this happened during her shift at the
wheel. She is beginning to think Big
Boomer doesn’t like her driving!
I don’t know about Big Boomer, but I certainly do not like
it when Mom drives. Mom usually is my
photographer and note taker. As random
thoughts go through my cotton head, she writes them down for me to peruse when
I write my blogs. She is quite a
proficient assistant to this Rambling RV Rat.
But Dad doesn’t quite make the grade.
He NEVER takes notes or photos without my prompting him first. If only I had fingers, I wouldn’t have to
rely on him at all! It is so hard to find good help these days. Anyway...
Because the weather and breakdown added time/stress to our
travels, we decided we didn’t want to do the final 7-hour drive from Deming, NM
to our destination of Quartzsite, AZ all in one day. So, we stayed at Button Brew House, a Harvest
Host in Marana, AZ. I am not sure why
they call themselves a “Host”. They do
not allow parking within their lot.
Instead, you are parking at the end of a public street! Nevertheless, we fulfilled our obligation and
patronized the brewery. Mom indulged in her usual (Diet Cokes)
while Dad had a couple of craft beers to console himself. You see, there were several other members of Harvest
Hosts parked on the road when we arrived. So, Dad had to make a tight U-turn. This resulted in him boogering up Suite
Retreat, when the front bumper of my Rambling RV Rat Rubicon rammed into the
right rear taillight area, causing minor fiberglass damage (another item
added to Dad’s to do list).
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Button Brew House's Beer Garden
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Dad soaking up some sunrays and sampling some beer as solace for his bumper blunder.
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| Suite Retreat's boo boo gets bandaged. What would we do without duct tape! |
The price of diesel fuel was erratic. We paid as high as $3.95/gallon in Van Horn,
TX and as low as $3.09 in Eloy, AZ. The
highest price I noted was $4.24/gallon.
Finally, we arrived at our beloved quirky Quartzsite (albeit
3+ weeks later than usual and too late to attend some of the special events that
occur here). We returned to Tyson
Wash Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) where we paid the $180 seasonal fee
to gain access to the water and dump station while we boondock within the
11,000 acres of public lands in the area operated by the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM). Though our
“site” from the prior 4 years was already inhabited, we found a wonderful
alternative further down the road.
It is great to be back in our “winter” home! Let the fun times begin!
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| I had to add my self-portrait rock art to the "landscaping". |
