Fun in the desert, Quartzsite AZ (01-27-11)

    I have to say that the last two weeks have probably been the most laid back and mellow time that Paul and I have had since we've been on the road.  We keep putting off a departure date because we are just really enjoying the friendship and sense of community we've had for the last few weeks.  And, we're not really in a rush to get anywhere.  We may not get to Florida as planned, since none of the kids can join us there anyway.
   Paul and I took a walk in the desert the other day, and Julie was nice enough to lend us her GPS, so we went geo-caching and found two caches out in the desert.  It was great to have a place to walk to- kept us from getting bored. We are hoping to borrow it again tomorrow to go hiking too.  My GPS is en route to Paul's mom's house, so we should have it next week.  Our mail is on its way there as well.


sharing cell numbers before splitting up to shop~

      I've mentioned that the RV Show is in town, and we've been to it several times already.  We don't need an RV, but we sure did manage to spend a lot of money anyway.  The first day, we all went to the show, and afterwards, Paul and I went home, did some research, and went back the next day to make our purchases.  We ended up with TWO generators, stabilizer bars to keep the trailer from rocking when we walk around in it, and assorted other smaller items.  We got two 2000 watt Yamaha generators because they are lighter weight than one BIG generator, we can use just one if we want to, and we can "tie" them together to make a more powerful generator when we need the extra power. They are so much quieter than the one we had (anyone want to buy a perfectly fine, but pretty noisy, generator?)!!





dinner in the desert

        Several times this week we've had dinner outside together- unless the wind is blowing- and most days in the morning, we sit outside and chat and share our plans for the day.  Sometimes we do things together, sometimes we don't.  Today Paul and I went to a nearby town to do some laundry and  buy some groceries. He is outside right now, tinkering with the generators, trying to determine where he'll store them when we're not using them.


a "house"full of friends!

       Last night it was chilly, and the wind was blowing, so after dinner we all congregated at our place.  We had some kind of Irish drink that Julie and Nancy brought.  I forget what its called but it sure was good.  Maybe that's why I forget what it's called.  It had Frangelico and Baileys, and everytime my cup was empty, Dave refilled it.  wow.  It was a fun night though, lots of laughing and great conversations.
     Dozer sure had his fun the night before last.  In the middle of the night, I could hear him playing with one of his toys, running around the trailer.  When I got up, Paul said he found a piece of one of Dozer's toys on the floor- the tail off a mouse.  Apparently Dozer was playing rough! However, upon closer inspection, we realized that all his toys still had their tails, and the tail Paul found was from a real mouse.   Apparently he got away, since we found no other evidence of a mouse, and Dozer sat waiting by the heat vent for a few hours, waiting for his buddy to come back.

More desert, and a Desert Bar (1-23-2011)

     Our new desert home is located in the town of Quartzsite, AZ, about 90 miles from where we were in Yuma.  We got here Friday and are parked next to Julie and Mike, who were with us in Yuma.




 

parking in the desert

     Quartzsite is a quirky town.  I am assuming it gets its name from all the quartz there is in the area.  It's a rock hounders paradise and there are a lot of rock and quartz shows based here.  Every year, during the winter, the population of this small town of about 3,300 swells to hundreds of thousands, as RVers swarm the area in order to be someplace warm.  About 1.5 million people pass through here during the months of January and February. Although there are several RV parks in town, the biggest draw is the BLM (Federal Bureau of Land Management) land where RVers can park for free, or nearly free.  There are tens of thousands of RVs just parked in the desert.  We are one of them.  There are signs along the roads indicating where "groups" are parked so people can find their friends.  Julie and Mike gave us directions to where they are, and we found them with no problem at all.



 



steady stream of traffic on the road to the Desert Bar

      Our first adventure was to the "Desert Bar" in Parker.  The bar is only open until sunset, and only on the weekends, and if you want a parking space, you need to be there by noon. It's  located 5 miles down a dirty dusty road, which you'd never know, based on the traffic on that little road!  What a fun place!  It uses solar power to run everything, and has a live band playing in the afternoon.  You can get food to eat, and whatever you want to drink.   It really reminded me of the Caribbean, except classier.




 



The Desert Bar

    We went with Julie and Mike and met up with Nancy and Dave once we got there.  Nancy and Dave were in Benson and Yuma with us. 

       This morning Paul and I went to the craft shows and mineral shows in town.  The "goods" are similar to the ones we saw in Yuma, with the exception of all the gems and rocks.  We didn't buy anything, but we had fun looking.  Tomorrow we'll probably head to the huge RV Show that's in town as well, not that we want a new RV, but again, its fun to look.

      I have been enjoying "boondocking" a lot more than I thought I would.  Part of it is being part of a group and having other people around.  We're not used to socializing with the same people more than once, and its been really nice to feel a sense of community.  Really, the only thing we miss at all  is TV.  We really don't have enough power to watch it unless we run our very loud generator.  Paul misses watching the news every day, and he feels a little out of touch.  We have the computer, but don't really spend much time on it.

     We have no idea how long we'll stay here, but we're not really in a rush to leave, since apparently its pretty cold everywhere else in this country!

As a P.S.,  today is my son Stephen's birthday.  I really can't believe he is 24, which really squarely puts him in his mid twenties. How did he get so old??



Stephen





Busy, busy, busy in the desert (01-20-2011)

I'm not exactly sure how we can be so busy when we are parked in the desert, but, busy we are.  I guess, in addition to busy, electricity and battery power for the computer are at a premium, so I haven't really been turning it on much.  Being able to check my email and stocks on my phone also makes it less critical to keep turning the PC on. I'll have a few things to really catch up on, once we get settled in a park again.





    In the meantime, we drove up to Mittry Lake with Carol and hiked around for a few hours.  We only got somewhat lost once or twice- it was one of those days that a GPS would have really come in handy, since the trail wasn't really marked.  At one point we thought we were almost back to the truck, and technically we were, but there was a canal in the way, with no way over it, so we had to walk around it, which added a lot more time to the hike.  We had a great time, but I think we wore Carol out!


end of the road for the bikes.

    We've been trying to stay active, so we took our bikes for a ride into the desert. Well, of course we didn't get too far.  We followed a road until the sand got so deep we couldn't ride anymore, then we explored the sand dunes on foot for a while.  It was noonish, so it got pretty hot after a while. I think it was the hottest day we've had- the thermometer read 110 degrees in the sun. 





    We've had one pot luck dinner, and have gone out to dinner once with the whole group.  So much food.  Wow. I forgot my camera last night so I am hoping someone will give me their pictures (hint, hint).  Most nights we sit around the campfire and chat, and the individuals who sit out change every night, so we've had a chance to chat with most people at length.
   Yesterday we had an outing to some Hot Springs about 30 miles from where we are.  It's on Federal land, and free to the public.  It's in an oasis, with a fence around it to protect young children from falling in.  A group of us hung out there for a while before heading back to camp. 

     I am very anxious now to get my new GPS.  I curse Best Buy for having it backordered for so long.  It would have been great to have on the hike the other day, but we also got our first taste of geo-caching, and I am really looking forward to trying it again, but I need the GPS.  Dave took us out to look for a cache that is close to where we are camped.  Basically with geo-caching, you use the GPS to guide you to a prize, which in this case, was a small case that contained paper and a pencil.  Once we found  it, we wrote our names on the paper and put the cache back where it was.  I didn't take pictures because I was so busy using Dave's GPS to find the cache.  You can go online and create a log of caches that you find, if you want, and if there is a difficult cache to find, you can read the hints as to how to find it.  Once I start doing it, I'll post a blog about it.  It's a really great way to get out and explore an area.  We had a great time finding this one, and I was glad it was relatively easy.
    Every once in a while we are really reminded that we live in a trailer.  Last night was one of those times.  The wind kicked up fierce during the night, and the trailer was rocking.  At 3 AM Paul (my hero) got up and went outside to fold up all the chairs by the campfire so they wouldn't blow away.  When he came back, we pulled 2 of the slides in, to keep the noise level down and the rocking to a minimum.  We finally got some sleep at about 3:30 AM.
 Some of the people who were here have left, and others are leaving tomorrow, including us.  We are headed up to Quartzite for a few days before taking off for Tucson.  
   I am sure I am leaving out lots of information and it sure doesn't sound like a busy week, but it has been!

boondocking in the desert (1-16-2011)



rendezvous in the desert

 We have left the lap of luxury and exchanged it for the sparse desert, and we are having an absolute blast.  We are camped out with about 15-18 other rigs, with a central fire pit set up for all to share.  Because we are literally in the desert,  there are no amenities.  No water, no sewer, no electricity.  Some people have solar panels, some have generators, and some have both.  Some people can generate enough of their own power to watch TV!  We can't, though.  We just have a small generator thats good enough to recharge our batteries and run some of our electrical outlets. We don't "boondock" too often so it isn't worth the investment to get anything more than that.  Most of these people are "Escapees"- members of a club that is comprised mostly of people who live and travel full time in their RVs.  Its not a requirement, in order to be in the club though, so some people here are just on a long term vacation, (or people who happened to already be camping in this part of the desert!). But because we all have a certain lifestyle in common, it gives us plenty to talk about!   As I just said to a friend of mine,being here really feels like an old fashioned neighborhood where you see people sitting out on their porches with a cup of coffee, chatting with the neighbors.  Very hard to describe the sense of camaraderie there is here.





stuck in the sand~

     The day we got here we helped "rescue" a fellow RVer who had taken a wrong turn and ended up stuck in the sand.  We have met an incredible amount of people, and have had the chance to actually get to know them a bit.      The days have a very loose routine, where everyone tends to gather a bit in the morning for coffee, before either taking off for the day to do something, or seeing what anyone else may be interested in doing. Yesterday I went for a bike ride with 3 other women, and tomorrow I am going hiking.




Our class president, Sandie, getting a vote on plans for a Pizza Party.



 Later in the day we tend to meet up again for happy hour.  Yesterday we had food set out and we all nibbled our way through the dinner hour.  Today was the saddest day.  Paul and I took off at lunch time to go find a sports bar so we could watch the Patriots play in the playoffs.  Sadly we saw them lose to the Jets, of all teams. Ugh.  No Superbowl for us this year.

   





Yuma, AZ (01-12-2011)

    So the RV park that we are staying in is definately over the top.  We've never stayed at one that had so much going on!  The people are friendly and will stop and chat as they walk their dogs or ride their bikes.  The RV Park is so big, a lot of people ride bikes to get around.

   For amenities, there are two pools, two hot tubs, a putting green, beach volleyball, tennis, full fitness center, shuffleboard, library, chapel, jewelry making room, billiards room, activity room, card room plus others.

All day long there are fitness classes (aerobics, water aerobics, pilates, yoga, couples yoga etc) craft classes, dance classes etc. Not to mention the daily water volleyball in the afternoon. There is entertainment 2-4 nights per week,  billiard tournaments etc. Tomorrow night is a dance, so we plan on going. Tonight was karaoke, and we decided to pass.




 

not your average Shuffleboard

We did work out in the gym today, which felt pretty good.  My only issue with this park is that the Wi-fi doesn't work, which kind of seems ridiculous.  Paul and I spent an hour or so on the phone with their techs, and in the end, they said they couldn't fix it, so I have mostly been using my phone.  There is Wi-fi in the library, but I am lazy.

    The other day we went to an event at the Yuma Territorial Prison State Park.  There was a "gathering of the gunfighters", a show they have every year.  We missed the contest for the fastest draw, but were there for the skits that were put on by different groups.  There are 3 judges, and awards are given for the best plot and best acting. Each skit is set in the 1800s. In between watching the skits, we toured the old prison, which was used during the 1800s.  Its what  I call the "motel style", as opposed to the "hotel style" prison.  The door to each cell opened onto a courtyard and is not inside a huge building. The weather here is warm enough that no heat is needed.
One of the woman inmates was found guilty of killing her lover (for cheating on her) and then cutting out his heart and throwing it in his face.  Interesting.
   Yuma has been a thriving town for a long time, since during the California gold rush, the "49ers" had to come through Yuma to cross over the Colorado River to get to California.
  

Picacho State Recreation Area, CA (Not to be confused with Picacho Peak, AZ)

   What do Hueco Tanks (State Park) and Picacho Peak (State Park) have in common?  Hueco means Tank, and Picacho means Peak.  Interesting redundency in the names.





18 mile road into Picacho Rec. Area, CA

 Anyway, Picacho State Rec Area has nothing to do with Picacho Peak State Park, except they both were named for the "picachos" within the park.  To access Picacho Recreation Area, we had to drive down an 18 mile, twisty, gravel road.  It was kind of like driving in snow for 18 miles.  Luckily we didn't need 4 wheel drive, because we don't have it!  Obviously this park is very remote, and had the typical "self-registration" booth where you put the money in an envelope to pay the park access fee. 



Colorado River from the trail

    In the 1800s there was a small town located here, and a lot of gold has been taken out of these hills.  Access was by way of the Colorado River which runs through the park.  Once the river was dammed, there was no more access for large vessels, and the town slowly dwindled away, like so many others.
   We did two hikes here-The Stewart Lake trail, and the Stamp Mill Trail, for a total of about 5 miles.





wild burros



Coyote along the trail



 The Stamp Mill trail was a dissapointment to Paul, since the ruins have not been cared for and are pretty much gone, including all of the remains of the small town.    We did see a fair amount of wildlife, including hawks, jackrabbits, several coyotes, and some wild burros.  In between hikes we came back to the truck to have lunch, and found a note on our windshield.  When I saw it I thought we had parked somewhere we weren't supposed to, but it was actually a thank you note from the ranger, thanking us for paying the entrance fee, and helping to support the state parks. 







     Once we had skated back down the 18 mile road, we headed home for dinner.

The RV Park we are staying in this week is pretty amazing- but I'll save that information for another day.

Picacho Peak State Park, AZ ---anatomy of a hike---.



the peak from a distance



  We started the hike, which is 6.5 miles long, at around 11 am in the morning. We were planning on starting earlier, but the temperature didn't hit 50 until 11:00, so we waited.


The trail starts off gently

 


 
 

The first of the cable climbs

working our way to the top



the trail highlighted

 


 

the last few feet to the top

 


  



sometimes going down is more difficult than going up!

 









         When we got close to the bottom, Paul decided he wanted to find and explore the copper mine tunnels that he could see in the distance.  I went part way, but elected to sit and relax and wait for him when the going got tough.  He found 3 mining caves and was quite happy that his explorations were fruitful. 

     We finished the hike at about 5 pm and headed home to eat the Chili that we made yesterday.  We were both  pretty tired, but I love this hike.  Its physically challenging and very rewarding.

Tomorrow we head to Yuma.











Benson and the (ghost) town of Fairbanks, AZ

 

Arizona has quite a few ghost towns- some that have been abandoned for many, many years, and some that are still in the process of being abandoned.  Today we went to Fairbanks, which was a small town that had its heyday when silver mining was actively being pursued in this area, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Because the railroad was nearby, it was a hub of activity for many years, but activity slowly dwindled  until the town was completely abandoned.



Paul exploring the stamp mill ruins



   One of the building ruins is the stamp mill. Once we came to it, I could see Paul's eyes take on their distant, preoccupied look.  He wandered off to explore the mill, and I sat on  the bench conveniently located nearby.  We both love exploring this type of place, but we enjoy completely different aspects.  So, I sat there and wondered where the people lived, where did they go when the mill closed? Were there children? How isolated did they feel?



Paul, on the other hand, is more mechanical. When he came back from his exploration, he had his theories on how the mill was set up, what kind of equipment they may have had, and where it would have been.

 


    I got my chance to do more speculating when we saw the cemetery.  It is the most primitive and rustic cemetery I have ever come across.  There were few headstones- mostly just wooden crosses nestled in a pile of rocks.  They looked just like the ones you'd see in a movie about the old west.




lunchtime on the trail- Brenda and Kit

    The weather in Benson has slowly gotten better, although its still been in the 20s at night. At least the wind and the snow has stopped though, so we have been able to get out and about more.  Yesterday we went for a hike in the Coronado National Forest, in an area that was the refuge of the Apache Chief Cochise.  The highlight of that hike was the company! After spending some time with Brenda and Kit over the last few days, the four of us decided to do the hike together.  The weather was perfect except for the fact that there was a fair amount of snow still on the ground once we got up to the mountain. We walked for a few miles, stopping once in a while to admire the view and give the guys a chance to do some boulder climbing.  Once we ate lunch and started to continue on our way, we were hiking in the shade, which ended up halting our hike.  The snow was getting a little too deep and slippery, and it wasn't worth risking injury, so we turned back a little sooner than we had planned.  Still, we hiked about 6 miles and had a great time.

    Tonight it was dinner at a great restaurant with 5 other couples.  They are all Escapees, staying in the same RV Park as us.  Dinner went by way too fast,  but we'll see almost everyone again in a week or so in Yuma.  Tomorrow we head out, stopping at Picacho Peak State Park for a night or two.

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

     Well, we brought in the new year in style this year.  We dressed up in our best jeans and headed for the clubhouse for an evening of fun and music.  We sat with a great bunch of people, most of whom we have just met for the first time.  There was a live band, and dancing, which is one of our favorite ways of having fun.  We realized that its actually been quite a long time since we've had the chance to dance!  We all managed to make it till midnight, but not much beyond it.
     You would think that after all that excitement, we would take the next day to relax, but nope!  We headed off to the Pima Air and Space Museum in nearby Tucson.  There are two sections of this museum, but we could only see one, since we found out after we got there that the "Boneyard" is not open on the weekends.  The Boneyard is a "graveyard" of thousands of old military airplanes, out in the Arizona desert.
We did get to see the actual museum, which still had hundreds of planes dating from pre-World War II to the present.  I enjoyed seeing the few planes that I had heard of, like the B-52, the B-17 and a couple of others.  Paul was much more interested in the displays than I was, that's for sure.  We took the bus tour around the facility, which was narrated by the driver.  It turns out that he is retired US Air Force, as are most of the volunteers here.  It was clear that he had a wealth of knowledge about the planes, and in fact, had flown several of them himself.

    I think I might have enjoyed this place a little more if the weather had been a little better, but sad to say, it was barely 40 degrees outside and nothing (except the tour bus and restaurant) was heated.  I was so cold all day, I was happy to get back into the truck at the end of the day.
      I am looking forward to getting some hiking done, but seriously- the other night it got down to 17 degrees, the coldest we've been in since we went on the road, and daytime temperatures have been in the low 40s. It's supposed to warm up tomorrow, so we'll pass today watching the Patriots play, if we can find it on TV.