Replacing the Touchpad on our Microwave/Convection oven…

We were surprised one afternoon when we attempted to use our Sharp Microwave/Convection Oven and suddenly nothing worked. It was at that moment we began to realize just how important this appliance was. We use it to warm up and cook our food but we also rely on it for other uses in our daily life we had completely taken for granted..

Not only do we use it for cooking and reheating we use it as our evening light. It is also our clock to tell time and to set timers. We either had to replace it with a functional one or have it repaired, the sooner the better!

As with any problem I hit up google and you-tube immediately. After about an hour of reading and watching videos I had come to the conclusion that it was most likely the touchpad that had failed. If it wasn’t the touch pad then it had to be the control board. Felling pretty certain about this I decided we would attempt to fix it ourselves rather than replace it.

Of course the risk was if the parts didn’t fix it I would still have to buy a new one. I found the parts on the Part Simple website after searching our model and serial number.  Both parts were about 75.00 each. A new oven was over $700.00 so I placed the order after reading I could return the control board if the touchpad solved our problem.

So how did I attempt to repair it?

First, I unplugged the microwave. Since I was pretty sure it was only the touchpad I removed the front panel of our microwave which housed the touchpad. I then took a video of all the wire and plug connections so I could reassemble it properly.

Next, I carefully disconnected all plugs and wires connecting the touchpad to the microwave so I could remove the whole front panel. There were 5 screws holding the control board to the metal frame of the front panel. I removed these which exposed the touchpad and the ribbon wire connecting it to the control board.

Once the ribbon was removed I then connected the ribbon to the new touchpad. I screwed back in the 5 screws to attach it back to the control board and then reconnected the front panel frame making sure all wires and plugs were correctly connected by looking at my video of the removal of it.

Once the front panel was back in place I plugged in the microwave and tested it. Thankfully everything was functioning as it should so I didn’t have to use the new control board. I was able to return it for a full refund. This fix was achieved for about $80.00 thanks to Google and You-Tube!

The Scenic Apache Trail, AZ

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The Apache Trail is an approximately 40 mile drive beginning in Apache Junction and ending at the Theodore Roosevelt Dam. This road is winding, with many switchbacks and sharp turns, so it’s advisable to take it slowly. The best time of year to drive the Apache Trail is in the spring when wildflowers are blooming. 

The historic trail gets its name from the Apache Indians, who originally used the trail to navigate through the Superstition Mountains. It then became a stagecoach route in the early 1900s and now winds its way through both the Superstition Mountains and Tonto National Forest.

We set off on this scenic drive in the hope of seeing carpets of color beneath the grandiose Saguaro cacti. This drive took us along the edge of the Superstition Mountains between Lost Dutchman State Park and Theodore Roosevelt Lake just east of Phoenix.

We weren’t sure if we could drive the entire loop because of the possibility of some spring rains which often results in some road closures along this trail. A little more than half of this road is unpaved once you go just past Tortilla Flats. And sure enough there was a road closure forcing us to turn around but the drive to Tortilla Flats was still a very scenic drive.

We were treated to splashes of color all along the roadside. Some of the wildflowers we saw were Desert Globemallow, California Gold Poppies, Desert Lupine, Cape Marigolds and Chuparosa. We even came across one huge field of the Cape Marigolds and even though they are actually native to South Africa they provided some stunning colors.

One highlight along this drive, besides the wildflowers in bloom, was the beautiful Canyon Lake, one of several reservoirs one will pass on this road. Canyon Lake offers lakefront campgrounds for RVs however, it is mostly dry camping.

There were several gravel pull-outs on both sides of the road so we stopped at many for views of the lake. It also afforded us the opportunity to do a little bird watching and take some photos of the lake and its surrounding scenery. We also took the short hike on an interpretive trail to the viewpoint of Weavers Needle.

A neat fact about this drive is that it goes through the Tonto National Forest. And surprisingly this Arizona national forest is the 7th largest  in the USA. Through most of this drive visitors will not see any forest of trees, merely desert vegetation with towering saguaros.

Just some notes to remind visitors that anytime you are parked either a Tonto National Forest pass or the America the Beautiful pass is required. .Also make sure to check for road conditions before taking the drive. Had we done this before our drive we would have learned ahead of time that “SR 88 is currently CLOSED between Fish Point and the Apache Lake.” We really enjoyed this drive and will likely take it again before leaving Mesa.

Red Mountain Park AZ

Another really nice place to visit located in Mesa close to our resort is Red Mountain Park.  It is a decent sized park at 1,146 acres in size and has a little bit of fun for everyone. The park has a playground with lots of play equipment for the kiddos, a lighted basketball court, a fishing lake, walking trails, as well as a nice disc golf course..

Red Mountain Park offers several of our favorite activities including hiking, bird watching, and disc golf.

Our first trip there was to do a little birdwatching on the trail surrounding the fishing lake. The trail is fairly popular with walkers but you can venture off the main trail down to the edge of the water as fishermen have created a dirt path all around it.

We parked (there is free parking) and one of the first birds we spotted was a bald eagle soaring overhead. Obviously it was a great start to our day of birding. The lake had a nice assortment of ducks on it as well. As we walked along the water’s edge we could see several large mouth bass and rainbow trout (they are stocked) so it became obvious why the eagle was hanging about.

Red Mountain Park’s trail has a nice assortment of vegetation so were able to spot lots of woodland and grassland birds as well as the aquatic ones in and around the pond.

Our next trip to Red Mountain Park we decided to play a little disc golf. The park has a disc golf course called Red Mountain Disc Golf Course. There are two courses with 36 holes in total. The course has a 4.3-star rating and we found it quite enjoyable even though it was a bit difficult to locate each hole in the proper order.

The course was fun and has a good layout zigzagging through desert shrubbery. Holes are of a nice range of hole lengths with none too far apart. There are a few Ace opportunities throughout the course making it even more fun even though neither of us achieved an Ace. But who know, maybe next time…

A Visit to the Salt River in AZ

It took a while but we both got over our Covid infection and were ready to live life fully once again. Instead of going out to crowded areas we eased our way back into society by going on short hikes and doing a little birding.

The Granite Reef Recreation Area is considered the best birding places on the Salt River and one of the best in Maricopa County Arizona. Fortunately for us it is located about 10 miles northeast of our RV park so in 15 minutes we are able to leave the desert and be parked alongside the Salt River.

A Tonto National Forest daily pass is required to access Granite Reef and other sites along the Salt River. Our America the Beautiful Pass is accepted as well.

This riparian habitat is excellent for resident, migrant, and wintering birds alike. At this time of year there are tons of waterfowl resulting in lots of raptors. It’s a little early for the songbirds but they will be arriving in this area soon. Our binoculars and cameras are used a lot every time we visit.

Another popular activity on the Salt River is kayaking as this is a great location for some exercise and quality sightseeing. Visitors are only allowed to launch non-motorized boats or fish along the shoreline at Granite Reef.

There is always something to see as the salt river is also well know for it’s wild horses and we were fortunate one day to see a couple of River Otters swimming in the stiff current of the river.

The scenery beckons visitors to relax and watch the river with the panoramic views of the Four Peaks mountain range and Red Mountain in the backdrop.There are also some short trails to hike.The Salt River Trail is a 1.3-mile out-and-back trail and this time of year there are lots of wildflowers beginning to bloom.

Driving along the river there are lots of other longer trails some of which we have done in the past. These other trails are the Bulldog Canyon Trail, Butcher Jones Trail or Phon D Sutton Trail. Now that the weather has settled into very pleasant temperatures we will surely return to enjoy the outdoors!