We left Sonoran Desert RV park near Gila Bend around 10:30am, heading east on I-10. For an Interstate highway, it’s in poor shape with potholes and rough patches that make the truck and camper shake. It makes it more difficult to drive and increases stress levels.
The Valterra adapter for the sewer hose was delivered to the Amazon Hub Locker in Tucson. Unfortunately, I picked a location right downtown and for future reference, will pick another more convenient location if we have to order something enroute. We were nearing the pickup point but still on I-10, when we hit an enormous pothole, throwing the truck and camper sideways. It could have caused us to plow into another vehicle, but Ron was able to get it under control. This is the worst pothole I’ve ever experienced, and the city of Tucson should get it’s act together and patch it before there is a bad accident.
Stopping at the Amazon Hub Locker worked out great and we are pretty confident the part is exactly what we need. While stopped, we decided to use the bathroom in the Airstream and after opening the door, Ron was startled to notice the window over the kitchen sink was busted out! It must have shattered when we hit the pothole from hell. Most of tempered glass was gone but a few of the hardware pieces were still there. Accidents happen and fortunately no one was hurt, so minor bump in the road in our journey. We stopped at a small town with a TSC to pick up Justice’s dog food and also bought plastic and tape to cover it for the trip home. I sent a letter to Airstream in Jackson Center to inquire about buying one and they are checking on it. So again, no worries that it’s going to work out.
As we are driving, we see flowers blooming now in the Arizona. There are purple, yellow and on occasion, orange flowers coloring the desert landscape floor. It is beautiful.
We picked a quick camping spot in Willcox, AZ. The town and campgrounds have definitely seen better days, but it’s cheap and level enough to stay hitched up overnight. They do have full hookups and we’re able to dump our tanks with the new adapter part fitting perfectly. I bought 2 so we always have a spare, another lesson learned.
This is our last night in Arizona and although we’ll miss the campgrounds and scenery, we won’t miss I-10. Tomorrow, we continue heading east to Deming, NM where we head north to I-25 to Albuquerque, then hitting I-40 east to Texas and Oklahoma.
2025 Airstream Travels 