.

.
Borrego Springs, CA

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Do you have a recommendation?

Imperial National Wildlife Refuge is one of three refuges in the Southwest Arizona National Wildlife Refuge Complex.  As I understand it, each refuge manager reports to the Complex manager.  The complex manager decided to have a cookout luncheon today to honor the volunteers at all three refuges.  Nice idea.  We were served up hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, fresh green salad, Cole slaw, and an assortment of deserts, chips and salsa.  The Kofa NWR manager did the grilling.  I truly appreciated not having to cook for a change.

IMG_1029

As I went to retrieve my ‘little’ camera out of the car, I encountered this roadrunner doing his running thing along the complex office sidewalks.  I had a little time to get some pics.  You see, all staff and volunteers were in back of the complex building for the BBQ, so all the doors were locked when I tried to get back in.  Disappointed smile

IMG_1030

Eventually, I found someone to unlock the door so I could return to the gathering.  The complex manager gave a speech and thanked all of us volunteers for the over 11,000 hours we’ve put in this winter.  That equates to the work done by five full-time employees.  Not too shabby in my estimation. 

Elaine, the complex manager, had her lunch with me and four other Imperial volunteers.  First time I’ve spent any time with her, and I liked her.  After her speech, each refuge manager recognized each of their volunteers with small thank you gifts.  I received my 7000 hour volunteer pin.  The Imperial manager and I have our differences, but he did acknowledge that he didn’t know that he had ever met anyone with more volunteer hours with the Fish & Wildlife Service.  There are lots of folks that have more hours, but I’m proud of my contribution.

IMG_1032

The reason I went back to my car to get my little camera is that there was a hummingbird nest in a Palo Verde tree very close to where we were eating.  I believe this is a female black-chinned hummingbird sitting on her eggs.  I remarked that the nest looked pretty large for a hummer.  It turns out a month ago a hummingbird had a nest here.  Can you see that this female built her nest atop the old used nest?  They make their nests out of cob webs and lichen and such.  The eggs are the size of little jelly beans.  I just might go back with my good camera to see if I can get some more shots.

As my time here at Imperial winds down, there are also several other changes I’m having to deal with.  My mail service in South Dakota (formerly called Alternative Resources) has changed their name to Dakota Post and changed their address as well.  That means I have to change all my addresses as well.  What a pain that is. 

Then in May, my extended warranty on the rig expires since the rig will be seven years old.  That warranty included roadside assistance.  I need to find my own roadside assistance.  I’ve used Good Sam in the past, but was wondering if you readers could give me some input.  The other companies I’ve heard good reports about are Coach net and Progressive.  What thinkest thou?

IMG_1028

                                                                                THE END!!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

35 comments:

  1. We have great experiences with both Coach Net and Progressive. We carry progressive insurance and that comes as part of the package.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I found out that State Farm has changed there policy to pay up front instead of you paying then collecting from them. But I just renewed my Good Sam as I have had such great service with them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We have roadside service thru Allstate which is our main insurance carrier on our bus and our jeep. Joe is researching extended warranties as our expires in December...will let you know.

    I love the hummingbird nest. I sure hope you get back for more pictures Judy!

    And congratulations on your awards pin...and a HUGE thank you for all you do as a volunteer.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We have used Coach Net & Good Sam. Will definitely stay with Good Sam. Congrats on the hours award. Becki

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm insured through Progressive and roadside assist is included in my policy. I've had to use the emergency service once for a flat tire. (And the last 3 times I've come home from long roadtrips,I've had rock dings in the windshield repaired). Thus far, they have been easy to work with. No complaints.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congratulations on your 7000 hr gift to the refuges and to the public! I am grateful for folks like you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 7,000 hours that is an accomplishment! Way to go Judy! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow-- 7,000 hours!!! And here I was feeling pretty proud of myself for just completing my first 24 hrs with FWS! Ha! Well, I'm glad you got a nice luncheon and some well-earned recognition for a job well-done!

    I've got Progressive insurance for both my RV and toad, and decided to just go with their roadside assistance since it was so much cheaper than CoachNet or GoodSam. But I've heard some folks say that Prog doesn't cover as much as the others (i.e. mileage limits, etc). I'm not sure how true that is, and I've yet to remember to call them to ask specifically how it compares. I've also yet to need to use their service. I've had both Coach Net and GoodSam in the past and have had good experiences with both, so I guess you really can't go wrong with whatever service you finally decide on.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for your service!
    We have Coach Net for the road side assistance. We had Good Sam, but were not impressed with their service. Our extended warranty is via Whole Sale Warranties. We haven't had a claim, so I can't speak to either of their goodness.
    Thank you for blogging, I've really enjoyed your travels.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Marsha and I have Coach Net and have used them twice. Both were VERY positive experiences. We've been very happy with them.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love the shot of the hummer sitting on her nest. I guess she decided she needed clean sheets?

    What a pain that you have to change all your addresses. I think if our mail service did that to me, I would use that as an opportunity to search for alternative mail service companie. That is a lot of work changing your address on everything which would include notifying your insurance company, changing drivers license, voting precinct....wow.

    We have Coach Net. Typically a company (like State Farm, USAA, Allstate) cover personal automobiles and are not necessarily going to be the best choice to have for roadside assistance for a large motorhome like you have. They all have large tow truck available, but the person sending them to you might not really understand what's involved in towing a motorhome. I would stay with either Good Sam or Coach Net I think.

    Congrats on the 7000 hours. Pretty amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Congratulations! 7 years on the road? 7,000 hours! Impressive!!! Hope this experience doesn't dampen your spirits to keep on giving... I know that most places are really appreciative of volunteers.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow Judy 7000 hours us amazing. You are a wonder. So sorry you couldn't tell the bug boss about your iss. Very interesting that his boss us a woman. We ga e never used our assistance so. I can't Di thumbs up or down.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL at my fingers.bug boss? No big boss about your boss. My I key is sticking....is a woman, do thumbs up...sigh

      Delete
  14. The entire month we were in AZ, we only saw two roadrunners. I just love those little things. The hummingbird photo is awesome. I do see the nest atop the nest. Cool and what a clever one.


    We had to have our motorhome towed several years ago and Coach Net was excellent. We didn't have to pay a penny out of pocket.

    Congratulations on another outstanding job! You will be a valued asset no matter where you go next!

    ReplyDelete
  15. it is always nice to be appreciated and you definitely are an asset to any reserve...keep up the good work

    ReplyDelete
  16. We have Progressive insurance but their towing doesn't cover as much as Coach Net (a lot of fine print). We've used Coach Net and had excellent quick towing service. Didn't have to pay a penny. That one tow pays our premiums for 5 years!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Good Sam--it's inexpensive and we've had to use it twice with motorhomes and once with the jeep when we rolled it over in the snowbank winter before last. Service was always good. With the jeep we had to pay the towing bill before we could retrieve the jeep and Good Sam reimbursed us for the full amount---promptly I might add! We pay for the premium service which provides service for any vehicle we own--and as you know in the cowboy's case, that's a LOT of vehicles!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. We have Coach Net and so far we haven't had to use them. Wish I could get a good picture of a roadrunner. They are always moving if and when I do see one. And your hummingbird mama is wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I use Good Sam, and have been happy with their service!
    I'm happy to see that hummingbird photo!

    ReplyDelete
  20. 7K hours! You're one of the special people that make this country great, giving instead of taking. Congrats. Hope the next 7K hours you do doesn't involve too much VC sitting. :c)

    I have Good Sam and have never used it (knock wood). I know you can't go wrong with Coach Net either.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Congratulations on 7000 hours! That is a lot of valuable effort on your part! We have Good Sam road service and the couple of times that we've had to use it they handled things very well. No complaints.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow, 7000 hours. Here is to many more.

    We only have about 800 in; 600 at KOFA last year, around 200 here at Alligator Island. We leave in two weeks.

    Your BBQ sounds wonderful. I sure am glad you got back into the building!

    As always your pictures are beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thank you for all of your service! Without people like you, many of these places can not function! Steve sure appreciates all of the volunteers who come to his park too. As for towing, we have never had to use ours.. thanks fully... but we do have roadside assistance with American Family. One thing I do know, over and over i hear from folks that Coach Net will send out a tiny tow truck the first call.. unless you stress over and over to the person taking your call how BIG your coach is and what you need for towing (semi type tow with a stinger and disengage the drive shaft) .. so many folks have to wait for repeated calsl to other tow trucks till the right one comes. We haven't had it happen to us yet, and hope it doesn't ever happen to you either!
    KarenInTheWoods and Steveio
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    (Blog) RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    ReplyDelete
  24. Good Sam here - but never had to use it. Sure hope I didn't just jinx myself.

    Nice that person recognized your good work at last.

    ReplyDelete
  25. In all my reading and no experience, I've seen the best reviews on Coach Net. Honestly, the best coverage for your locations and that they will let you bring your dog if you need to be towed seems to be the biggest driver - and that they can handle your rig.

    ReplyDelete
  26. That's a lot of hours of volunteer work. Sounds like a nice recognition for the volunteers.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Congratulations, Judy - 7,000 hours, what a gift! I kind of feel your manager ate a little crow at that bar-b-que. I've seen a roadrunner twice since I've been here at Hot Springs, running, stopping, running right across a wide area by my rig. I have my camera in it's case tucked away because of the breezes, open windows and fine dust that makes it's way in. I couldn't get the camera out in time to get a good shot. But I was still happy to see him. Your photos are wonderful - good, clear running shots.

    Luckily I haven't needed to use my roadside service yet. My first year I had Progressive Ins, and it included roadside service. My second year the premium went up so high, I switched to Good Sam Roadside Service. I bought 3 years worth, because doing that was cheaper. I also moved my RV full-timer insurance, of course. Hope I never need either of them. :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I have only GOOD things to say about Coach Net. I've had to use them several times in the last 4 years.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Coach Net and have been lucky enough to not need to use them since 2008... I guess I am my own extended warranty program... I will probably pay for that one day.....

    ReplyDelete
  30. Congratulations and Thank you for your 7000 hours. We use Good Sam. We have only called them twice but have been pleased both times.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I join with the others and thank you for your 7000 amazing hours. . .

    How fabulous that you have that great a view of a hummer nest. I once discovered a nest in Texas. . .way up in an oak tree. I took Dave's big camera, big lens, tripod, and remote shutter switch down there. . .and got set up to stay as long as it took to gett Momma sitting on the nest. I was there for awhile. . .but I got some awesome shots. Isn't nature just fabulous?

    As you know from reading about our two breakdowns in a six week time period. . .we love our Progressive Roadside Service. Have absolutely no complaints (yes, it is true they will only pay to have you towed to the closest repair shop) but that has never been an issue.

    Will be interested to know what you decide. . .safe travels!

    P.S. Did you get my replies concerning Death Valley? ? ?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Wow, 7,000 hours is quite an accomplishment, and I wonder how much crow that manager figured he was choking down giving you the award. Love the photo of the hummingbird.

    ReplyDelete
  33. We're in the midst of changing our address for Dakota Post. It raised our car insurance rates when we went to the new zip code. I'm not happy about any of this.

    ReplyDelete
  34. WOW! 7000 hours! I'm jealous. I won't get there until this summer. You have really been putting in the hours. Congradulations.!

    ReplyDelete