Once the year-end holidays were done, we said “As an overall statement, I will say that we spent the first half of 2017 going back and forth between our house and Paul’s mom in El Paso. Sometimes we took the rig (and the cat) and sometimes we didn’t.
We are extremely fortunate enough to have Mike and Julie as our very good friends. 
They made themselves available to house sit and cat sit as much as we needed, while we trekked back and forth to Texas. It would have been so much more stressful without them!
Actually, we have a great group of friends who Paul and I know we can count on, whenever the need should arise.
Our first major event of 2017 was the Havasu Balloon Festival in January. We have never been in Havasu to see it, but we managed it this year. We were joined by several RV friends, and although the weather wasn’t perfect, we still had a great time getting up at 5 am!
Next up on the agenda was our annual pilgrimage to Quartzsite, AZ, in mid January.
Quartzsite, in January, is a gathering place for RVers who are interested in hanging out in the desert. We have been coming here every year since we bought our first 5th wheel.
Camping in the desert with a bunch of friends, with no RV park, no electricity-no amenities at all…..is an absolute blast.
Campfires are awesome, when the weather is good…
and when the weather is iffy….Farkle in the roomiest RV (sometimes ours) is a fantastic way to pass the time!
In theory, RVers come to Quartzsite for the RV show, but we come mostly to hang out with friends…
… and of course eat Silly Al’s Pizza (the best in the world) and have lunch at Beer Belly’s, where, if it isn’t 2:00….
who cares?
For the past 5 years, Mike and Julie, and Paul and I have hosted a Quesadilla/Margarita party for our friends, in Quartzsite.
We have fed as many as 45 people each year, and dispersed many batches of Margaritas….Always a good time (since no one is driving home!!)
Since Quartzsite is only an hour and a half from our house, we took the rig, and went back for the Jeep and Teryx. We had a great time exploring the desert.
Soon after Quartzsite, we stopped in Tucson to visit with our good friends who had recently sprouted roots in the town (bought a house). 
If we weren’t interested in boating, Tucson would have been our dream town, so we are always happy to visit them here!
Since I am a big New England Patriot’s fan, in early February there was more fun in store for me! Who doesn’t enjoy a Super Bowl when their favorite team is losing…..the entire game!?!
After a nail-biting 3 hours, my New England Patriots took home the big prize!
GO PATS!!!
The next major trip we took was to California, in mid February. We packed the cat and the truck camper, and took off for Atwater, with Mike and Julie right behind us. Lucky for us they were, too. While driving down the highway, a trucker pulled up alongside and tooted at us. We pulled over, only to discover that our hitch pin had let go and the trailer for the Teryx was swaying across the lanes of the highway, held to us only by a chain. A very dangerous situation. Mike pulled up behind us and gave us another pin to hold the trailer together, and we were on our way.
The entire weekend in California was one big party with Paul’s fraternity brothers. starting with dinner in Fresno, and then moving on to Nancy and Bill’s Party barn in Atwater. Bill and Nancy are farmers and have lots of almond trees!
It really is a barn, but not like you’ve ever seen before! .
The next morning many of us took turns driving a tractor around the yard.
On the way back from Atwater, the 4 of us were excited to make a stop at Death Valley National Park. We have all been here before, but it is extremely beautiful and we looked forward to exploring it more. 
We had brought the Teryx just for this outing, but ran into a snag. Although we had been told we could use the Teryx in the park, when we got there, we got conflicting information. After a lot of back and forth with park rangers, we decided not to use the Teryx- so- we towed it all that way for nothing.
So, gee, instead, we spent an awesome few days exploring and hiking.
The Boys- high up on a hill in Golden Canyon
View of Badwater Basin:
Natural Bridge Canyon Trail:
It’s kind of cool though that Paul and I can now say we are 2 for 2. Even though Death Valley is a desert, and gets very little rainfall each year….it has rained every time we have been there!
Back home again, we received another visit from Jess. This time it was a St. Patrick’s Day visit. While bar hopping with her parents, she managed to win a Guinness T-Shirt, but only because she actually WAS drinking Guinness at the time! Wow. I thought I knew her!
We had quite a relaxing weekend, and the picture she posted on Facebook summed it up. Lake Havasu’s motto is “no bad days”. Jess’s post: “No bad nights, either!”
To Be Continued…
