Tuesday, January 10, 2012

This morning we drove into town for the day to take one last look at the junk stores. Carol bought a new hat and I found a decent belt for $17. After that we went grocery shopping and did a load of laundry. While the laundry was being done, we got take-out from a nearby restaurant. We both had a very good taco salad. Then we dumped the tanks and filled up with water.
Judy, the lady with the five dogs, joined us for the 4 o’clock social hour. She told us about the difficulties she has with some RV parks not wanting five dogs. We’re dog lovers, and at one time, traveled with three of them, but can certainly see the point of view of the RV parks. The record number of dogs per site we can recall was nine. It was at a TX state park a few years ago. The people showed dogs professionally and traveled in a large travel trailer.

Wednesday

Didn’t do much today. Everyone else went into town to take care of chores like we did yesterday. Our job was to hold down the fort. Chuck and Beverley drove to Mexico today to pick up some meds. They brought back a very colorful piñata which will be the centerpiece of an upcoming piñata party.

We got an e-mail from Carols sister Mary, confirming the Wagner family reunion in July so that fixes our general summer travel plans. The reunion is being held in the Mystic, CT area where the majority of Carol’s eight siblings, and their families, live.
Now we’re talking about where to spend May through September. Neither of us like the summer crowds typical of the New England coast, we’ve been through VT, MA, NH, NY, PA, etc., a number of times and have no big interest in exploring those areas again, so we’ll see. Maybe Maine and the Maritime Provinces of Canada again? If so, this time we’re going to add Newfoundland and Labrador to the agenda. We were in the Maritimes in 2007 and very much enjoyed the trip.


Thursday

A grey, chilly and overcast day. Most nights it’s been getting into the low 40’s but warming up nicely by noon. Not today. I don't think it hit 60*
We’ve been running the Wave 3 heater all night. It tends to keep the interior temperature about 20* above the outside temperature if run on the high setting. In the morning we’ve been waking up to a temp. of about 62*; not bad as long as you’re bundled up.
Roger and John made a Wal-Mart run into Parker today. There are lots of common food items that just are not available in Q. Linda and I took the dogs for a walk to the nice fresh fruit & veggie stand in town just across from the post office. 4.5 miles roundtrip per the GPS. Picked up some more summer squash, broccoli, pears and peanuts.
Nancy from SoCal pulled in today. Several more rigs are expected this weekend.

An overview of the area.

Wandering around here & there

The last few days Carol & I spent time just wandering around here & there. Through the mile after mile of assorted stuff, dozens of food stands, on & on. From everything-for-a-dollar joints to vendors selling quality jewelery.
Carol found a beautiful pair of gold earrings that are a perfect match for the ring she bought at the art show in Tubec,AZ last year. I got a brand new plastic "T" handle that replaces the broken one on the black tank dump valve pull and a flashlight. Mind you, this is not an officially sanctioned by Andy Lazy Daze flashlight. Then again, it only cost $3. Batteries included. We both went home happy with our purchases,

an endless supply of stuff.

A rather unique RV. From British Columbia.

Getting ready to raise the Big Tent.


Roger heard from a number of others who are headed this way. By Saturday, there should be six to eight more rigs. Last night we had a cookout. Everyone grilled their own entree. Linda made potato salad, we supplied a pot of chili and Ann made an amazing, from-scratch lemon cake. A pot luck supper is scheduled for Thursday.

Our RV friend Jim is here. We met Jim at Crater Lake in 2008. Jim's not an early riser. Yesterday, about noon time, we were going to send Ann, who is an RN, into Jim's rig to check his vital signs to make sure he was still with us. :-)
Shortly after that, Jim came wandering out. He said he was awake but working on a project. No one believed that.

We did a little grocery shopping on Sunday. A 1/2 gallon of milk was $4.38. $3.50 for a loaf of multi-grain bread. $7.50 for a 12 pack of TP. The merchants have a short season around here. I suspect they make half, or more, of their annual income in January and February. When we were in Maine a few years back, one of the locals we met was upset with the town grocery store because they really jacked up their prices in the summer. Soak the tourists.

Linda showed Carol a new game for Smart Phones/iPads, etc. It's called Words-With-Friends. Essentially, it's an on-line scrabble game.

Today Gopher and I walked into town together just to poke around. When the RV show starts, we're going to move to the Rice Ranch for a night. Rice Ranch is located just across the street from the Big Tent. They have a large open lot, where for $7 you can stay overnight. That way, Carol will have easy access to the sidewalks so she can go anywhere she wants. We discovered that last year.

We're enjoying ourselves. It's nice to not have to drive so often and to have the company of so many nice people. Everyone that's here, we've met somewhere in our travels.
We'll be here until we head to Tucson in February to meet up with John & Marge.

The party begins!

We left the Senator Wash area about 10am after dumping tanks and filling up with water.
Judy Williams,her five dogs and her husband, Stew are camped in the LaPosa North area. Carol & I stopped by for a visit. We filled up with gas at Pilot, $3.33/gal., and bought some fresh veggies at a farmers market sort of place then headed over to the main Lazy Daze camping area at LaPosa West. 33.64322 -114.22328. There were already five rigs there. We had met everyone someplace during our travels. Jerry, the guy who is organizing the GTG, is guessing there will be from 20 to 25 rigs within the next two weeks. Last year there were perhaps six or eight.
Compared to the two weeks during the big RV show, the place is a ghost town which really works to our advantage since we don't have a tow car and Carol's scooter doesn't work well in sand so desert walks are out. Right now there are lots of places we can park the camper in town. We're going to do our exploring this coming week then bum rides when the madhouse sets in by about the middle of the month. The gem & mineral show starts tomorrow. Carol is in the market for some earrings.

This is going to be a great month.

Our last day at the Imperial Dam LTVA

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

This evening, our neighbors walked over to introduce themselves. They are a retired couple from Iowa who have been spending the winters here for several years. I would guess farmers from their dress and demeanor. For only $180 per year, they have unlimited access to water, a dump station, trash collection and a shower. They travel in a Class A motorhome in the 36’ range. About every two weeks, they dump their tanks and fill up with water. They have their own special spot to which they return year after year. The “residents” tend to “customize” their areas with rocks, of which there is an endless supply. Big rocks, medium sized ones and pebbles. These rocks make it very difficult for Carol to either walk with her cane or drive the scooter. The rocks cover up the fine red dust, about the consistency of talcum powder, that blows around and coats everything.

The residents build one rock high borders to define “their” area, elaborate fire pits, patios, walkways and such things. The spot we’re in tonight has been customized. The defined area is large enough for two RV’s plus there is a well built fire ring. Last nights campsite had a good sized area that appeared top have been raked of even the smaller rocks. Perhaps to prepare a tent site.

The wind never stops blowing around here. It’s strong enough to make the flags stand out straight. As I rub my hands across the dinette table, I can feel the grit of the sand. There are a few camping areas that are in “bowls” or depressions. They are quite popular because they afford some protection from the wind. A few of the regulars have set up screens around their site to block the wind. Some have wind generators erected to provide electrical power. When we got home from last years trip out this way, I must have vacuumed up a pound of red dust. It coated just everything; the engine compartment, refrigerator, the interior, the roof, on and on. If you camp in the desert, that’s just the way it is.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

This morning on the way to our day camp spot on the reservoir, we drove around here and here. The long term residents are easy to spot. Flag poles, clothes drying trees, wind screens, elaborate solar power systems, potted plants, and such things. You see everything from tents to very expensive RV’s. A very interesting lifestyle.

Camping on the Senator Wash Reservoir.

Imperial Dam LTVA

January 2, 2012

Today we did some exploring. I have never seen a city with so many RV parks as Yuma. I don’t know if they hold the world’s record for such things, but they just might. One of the Escapees we’ve been camping with has been coming to this area for 16 years. He was just chock full of tips on free camping. Seems the true boondockers don’t even want to spend the money to camp at the LTVA’s.

Then we did our last minute shopping at WalMart, topped off the propane tank and set out for the Imperial Dam Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA).
In order to get to the Imperial Dam area from the AZ side, you drive through the Army Yuma Proving Grounds. Per the signs, every tracked vehicle and cannon developed for, and since, WW-II has been tested here. There is an interesting exhibit of some of the machines and guns tested.

Parts of the Imperial Dam LTVA are in Arizona but the majority is in California. CA is in a different time zone but, by convention, AZ time is used in this area. There are a number of camping areas like Cozy Cove, Kripple Creek, Hurricane Ridge, and another half dozen or so. The administrative area with the dump station, water fill, dumpsters and permit office is located in the South Mesa camping area. GPS 32.90139 -114.49599. We bought a 30 day camping permit for $80. This permit is good for all the different LTVA’s, including, of course, those around “Q”.

We spend the day camped on the shore of the Senator Wash Reservoir. If you want to stay overnight there, you need to pay an additional fee of $15/night. The folks in the office told us to just spend the day there and then move to one of the other camping areas before sunset. That’s just what we did. Gopher had a fun time playing stick in the reservoir, plus it washed some of the desert off her.

About 5:00 Gopher and I were sitting outside and two “wild” burros came wandering up. They didn’t much like barking dogs, so I put Gopher inside. They walked right up to me and just stood there. I got an apple and cut it in two and gave each half; that’s exactly what these two mooches had in mind. I didn’t want to give away any more apples so I took a zucchini and cut off two pieces. Burros don’t like zucchini.

A good day for a swim

Tonight's campsite

Wednesday, January 3, 2012

We like it here so decided to hang around until it’s time to move to “Q”. I got up just before sunrise, took a few pictures then drove down to the shore of the reservoir with Carol still tucked warmly in bed. We went exploring some of the other areas, like Squaw Lake, but liked the Senator Wash Reservoir the best. Here we’ll stay.

We had a visitor today

Gopher & the burro.

He stopped by to say hello and mooch an apple.

A few favorites from 2011; a truly great year.

Cedar Island, NC on our way to the OBX

Lake Superior, Michigan.

The family reunion in Pennsylvania.

A few favorite pictures from past travels

The Slabs

Our campsite

The grandchildren. Christmas, 2010.

Our all time favorite campsite. It's just us. Lake Superior, Summer 2011.

Death Valley, 2010. A most beautiful animal. Looks like he just stepped out of the groomers.

Yuma, AZ and the Escapees

December 30, 2011

We made the final drive to Yuma this morning with stops at Fry’s and WalMart for supplies. Yuma is a madhouse this time of year. The full time population of Yuma is about 75,000 but another estimated 70,000 call it home in the winter.

Yuma. The lettuce capital of America

Yuma is Arizona’s warmest winter city and the sunniest year round place in the US, with an annual average of 4,133 hours of sunshine. This week’s weather is forecast to be in the mid 70’s during the day and the mid-40’s at night. This time last week a daytime high of freezing was about typical. It’s nice being warm once again. Last year in Yuma, Carol had heat stroke and we spent the day in the ER. This time, she’s drinking more water, dressing more appropriately for the weather, wearing a hat and keeping out of the sun during the hottest hours of the day. One ambulance ride to the ER is enough!!
We drove out to the Escapees New Years gathering on Mittry Lake. This is one of the “ten day” BLM areas. No charge, no facilities, but you’re supposed to move on after ten days. Right now there are about a dozen rigs here with more expected tomorrow; the official start of the rally. It’s hard to find a more welcoming group of people. As soon as we parked and got settled down, people came over and introduced themselves. Carol hopped on her scooter and joined some ladies who were sewing, making ear rings, knitting, etc. It’s just so nice for her to have company other then me, and for me to be able to talk to the guys as well. There was a couple here that we had met at an Escapee rally in Michigan a few years ago. About 4:00 there was the customary social hour. By sundown it starts to cool off and everyone heads “home” for supper. Everyone here, except for us, are “full timers”. One couple, Ron and Sharon, had been on the road for the 19 years since he retired from the Navy. They have a 1959 Continental Trailways bus they bought and converted into a motorhome. There are eight 125 watt solar panels and a battery bank with a 1,150 ampere hour capacity. Ron said they have a household size refrigerator, microwave, etc. that all run from the battery bank. Other RV’s here tend to have from four to six solar panels. Of course they are large fifth wheels or motorhomes with room for such things.

December 31, 2011
New Years Eve.
A beautiful day. Woke up to 44* this morning but by 10am it was over 60* and by noon time 74*. We spent the day enjoying the company of all the very nice people. The more time we spend with other Escapees, the more intriguing the life style becomes. Under the right circumstances, we could see traveling almost all the time with the occasional trip to Fort Pierce just to be sure the house was still standing. Some day perhaps. Summers in Colorado , Wyoming and Montana, winters in Arizona. ??
Tonight we discovered something new to us; a revolving party called a “Z Circle”. There are four host stations. Everyone is assigned to one station and brings either an appetizer or dessert to that station and leaves it there. We made brownies. Every hour you then move to the next station and sample whatever is there and socialize with a new group of people. Around and around you go until you have visited all four stations. It’s a great way to get to know everyone on a more personal basis.
Around 11pm the community fire was started. Carol had already called it a night. I managed to stay awake until a little after midnight.


January 1, 2012
New Years Day, 2012.
What a weather perfect day. Low last night in the mid-50’s, by late afternoon it was 80*. At 2pm there was a New Years Day pot luck supper and endless socializing. It was the most unusual, and enjoyable, New Years weekend we can recall. In the morning most folks are setting out for here and there until the big event at Q at which time, we’ll all meet up once again. We’re staying around until Tuesday then going into Yuma for propane and shopping, then to the Imperial Dam/Senator Wash areas before moving onto Q later in the week.

Carol and her friends

Our campsite overlooking Mittry Lake

Getting ready for the pot luck supper.

Talking to these full timers is really interesting. Some, judging from their RV's, are quite well off financially. Some need to work while they are traveling. One couple is heading to Texas from here. They have a three month job lined up at one of the oil exploration sites. They park by the entry gate and check everyone in and out. The job is 24/7 so someone in the RV must be available around the clock. The job pays $150/day. They are provided with a large generator, a supply of drinking water and a tank pumping service. The three months work will bring in about $13,500 less the very occasional, day off. Some have worked at Amazon, some at Wal Mart, some doing odd jobs here and there. Doing what they need to do in order to continue their chosen lifestyle.

Getting warmer

I was up at sunrise this morning as was everyone else in the campground it seems. Sometime during the night, two other RV's pulled in. They were Camping World rental units. Two families traveling together with school age children from either Germany or Holland from their language. A small herd of horses came wandering through the campground. Everyone was there with cameras. Smiles are the same the world over.

We were on the road by 8:30, or so. Our choices to get to warm and sunny Yuma were either two four hour driving days, or one long and one short day. As the day wore on, we just kept going. It was still cold and there was snow on the ground until we got about 50 miles south of Flagstaff. Finally the plan became to just get south of Phoenix where it would be warm and call it a day. Tonight we're at Holt's Shell Station, just off I-8 in Gila Bend; about two hours from Yuma. We've stayed here before. There are two camping choices. Use the free dump and water fill then stay in the parking lot behind the convenience store for free or pay $21.43 to stay in their full hookup RV park. We're in the RV park tonight, which is no more then a parking lot with hookups, because for the next month or so, it's going to be boondocking in the desert. We both took long, water-wasting showers tonight. Enjoy it while we can!! There is a nice laundry room here so we're all caught up in that department.

We woke up to this.

And went to bed with this.
The sign says $3.45/gal. for regular gas. We filled up at Pilot in Phoenix for $3.07.


In the morning we get our shopping done in Yuma then head to Mittry Lake for the Escapee New Years Eve party. That will be fun.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park and getting there.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

We left Suzanne’s house about 9:00am. The drive from Denver west on I-70 is very pretty. As we passed by the different ski resorts we could see the skiers and the lifts. Everything looks busy. The drive through the Glenwood Canyon was especially nice. Sheer rock walls and the Colorado River. The parking lots by the springs at Glenwood Springs were packed with cars. Business looks to be good.
We arrived at the James M. Robb-Colorado River State Park near Fruita, CO about 3:00; a longer drive then I had anticipated. We’ve stayed here before. It’s just off I-70 so it makes for a very convenient nights stop. We’re the only campers here tonight. The Ranger said just help yourself to any site. He, or his relief, would drive through the campground now and then. $20/night for a full hookup site plus a $7 entry fee. Nice to have electrical hookups on yet another cold night. We finally got to dump the tanks after spending nine days camping in the streets at Suzanne’s house.
It was 17* this morning when Gopher and I went walking.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Monument Valley

Today we drove through the state of Utah from Crescent Junction to Mexican Hat . Passed through the magnificent National Parks of Arches and Canyonlands, through the Manti-La Sal National Forest, Moab and Monticello and a dozen or so “towns” that barely existed. This is a most beautiful drive through canyons, up and over mesas, past huge cattle ranches and eventually to the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park just south of the UT/AZ border. We need to come back this way when the weather is more conducive to outdoor things.

The Monument Valley Tribal Park is a very special place in the Navajo culture. The visitor center had an extensive collection of artifacts and told the story of the area from before the army expelled the Navajo tribe as part of the Western Expansion to modern times. Very interesting. Carol found two beautiful, well crafted, pairs of handmade Navajo earrings in the gift shop. The nice thing about buying crafts in an “official” store, rather than from a roadside stand, is that everything comes with a certificate of authenticity. Is the certificate authentic?? Who knows. For the price I should hope so.

There is a camping area near the visitor center. It’s simply called the Primitive Campground. Trash cans and pit toilets; nothing else. $10/night. Tonight it’s us, three young couples tent camping and two couples from Germany traveling in their RV. Europeans quite often ship their RV to the US then travel extensively. They really like the “Old West” America; cowboys, Indians and such. Several of the old western movies by John Ford were filmed in Monument Valley. Stagecoach being the most famous.



Our view is magnificent. We’re on an elevated area overlooking the Mittens, named because they resemble a mitten, Mitchell Mesa, Merrick Butte and Elephant Butte.

In the morning we continue south. An Escapee friend told us about a New Years Eve campout a bunch of Escapees are putting on at Mittery Lake which is a BLM area just north of Yuma. That’s where we’re heading next. The woman who is organizing the party sent us an e-mail with directions and said the temperatures are in the low 70’s. Much more to our liking.

This view from our window.

A happy camper

Our campsite overlooking the Mittens

What's keeping that rock from falling?? The formation is called Mexican Hat.

Another wonderful Christmas

Saturday, December 24, 2011 Christmas Eve

We enjoyed a fun day with Izzy and Oliver. Carol and I went to Mass at 3:30 then came home to another great meal by Suzanne and her able assistant, Izzy. After dinner we all enjoyed the family tradition of the “open me first” gift. Everyone gets to open one present on Christmas Eve. The gift is always pajamas of some type. Oliver got a Bat Man set and Izzy’s were snow bunny. All the adults got nice, warm flannel pajamas.

Our iPhone has a feature called FaceTime. It’s a video conferencing program. Jennifer has an iPad II with the same program. We called Jennifer and Alex in Virginia and had a great time talking to all the Virginia grandchildren and playing show-and-tell with the open-me-first gifts. We’ll call them again tomorrow. One of the great FaceTime features is that the call is completely free. Amazing technology.

The weather is improving, in a relative sort of way. Yesterday when I got up, the outside temperature was 7*; this morning it was 14*. I guess if the temperature doubles that represents a huge improvement. When I was walking Gopher, 14* today felt just like 7* yesterday. I didn’t feel twice as warm.

Before Carol and I went out to the camper tonight, Izzy asked if we could get up a little earlier tomorrow since they can’t open presents until we’re there. It seems the coffee pot timer is set for 6:00am and that would be a good time to start opening presents. :-)

Sunday, December 25, 2011 Christmas Day

I woke up at about 6:00 and took Gopher for her walk. We were inside, all ready for the opening of presents by 6:45. As always, under the tree was piled with gifts. We called Jennifer and Alex with the FaceTime Apple program. It’s the next best thing to being there.
Suzanne is a vegetarian and Chris and the children mostly so. Instead of the traditional turkey, we had fish which Chris cooked, green beans, a sweet potato/apple casserole, corn pudding and a great cheesecake for desert. Suzanne is a wonderful cook. Among the favorite parts of my visit, was a week without cooking and cleaning up.
Our original plan was to leave in the morning but we decided to stay for another day. Who knows when we’ll be back here again.

Oliver, Carol, Suzanne & Izzy

Monday, December 26, 2011

I spent the day getting the camper ready for our departure tomorrow morning, walking with Gopher and enjoying everyone’s company. Carol, Suzanne and the children went shopping then out to lunch.
After dinner we took lots of pictures of the children. Carol has a collection of her favorites on her iPad. Tomorrow it’s back to work for Chris and Suzanne. We said our goodbye’s tonight. There is talk of a family reunion on Carol’s side of the family next Summer in Connecticut. If so, perhaps we’ll see everyone then.
In the morning we begin the long drive to Quartzsite “Q”,AZ. 983.4 miles per Streets and Trips. The last several days I’ve been looking at the different routes from here to there. One route is all Interstate highways to Las Vegas, NV then south. The other goes from I-70 to Utah then south on Highway 191 through Moab, Blanding, Mexican Hat, Flagstaff, then Phoenix. There is nothing of interest on the Interstate highways and we’ve lots of time so I decided to take the slow and scenic way. Four hours max. driving time per day.