The Desert South

We started the past week out in the desert near Quartzsite, AZ - it was terrific to enjoy the tranquility of the area.  Monday morning we drove to Bouse, AZ - a small town about 20 miles from where we were staying.  We attended the community pancake breakfast in memory of our friend Bob, and then drove back into Quartzsite going the long way around to enjoy the scenery.

Once in town, we thought we should see if there were many vendors still around and to see if there were any deals to be had.  Well sure enough, we found a headlight for the motorhome which had been knocked loose on our way home last spring when we hit a pheasant.  What luck - right side, right model and only for $15.00.  It is now installed, and works perfectly.  One never knows what you might find.  There is even a spot to leave the husbands(or wives) so the other spouse can go shopping.

This past week was a full moon - everything in the sky seems to be incredibly beautiful - whether it is the sunset or the moonrise.  Here is a picture of the moon behind the tree with a home made humming bird feeder in front.

Through the window

The full moon must have played with the instincts of some animals.  I looked out one evening right around dusk and I see a kit fox coming across the desert towards us.  As I watched, he came and sniffed in the fire pit (I'm guessing he was hoping to find a hot dog that had fallen off).  Then along comes a second one, and then a third.  They walked around, sniffed a bit, played with each other a bit under and around the Jeep and then off they went, running in different directions after one of them left their mark on a tire!

 
We met some lovely folks from central California and they gave us some oranges from their tree.  In the photo, the smallest is a grapefruit while the other two are oranges.  Not only were they huge, they were juicy and sweet.
 

This week we went another hour north to Lake Havasu City where we will be attending a 4x4 rally.  We went out on a pre-run today where I drove.  It wasn't a difficult drive and we saw some wild burros a couple of times.  They obviously are used to vehicles being around as they were not in the least bit afraid.  Gerry is complaining tonight of having sore hands - could that have been from hanging on so tight - I'm not sure.    

This week will be one of  visitng old friends, making new friends as we bump along the trails.  I will update you of the signs and sounds of the week.  Until then, have a good week!

A Little Further North

The past week found us in a couple of different spots - as we very, very slowly head north.  

While we were still at Pilot Knob we decided to take a little drive out into the desert to see if we could come across the fence built between the United States and Mexico.  Since it was on the opposite site of a canal we could only see it off in the distance.  We did, however, come across a set of tires which is/was used as a means of levelling the sand to determine if there were any footprints which likely meant that some folks had come over from Mexico illegally.  The presence of the border patrol is very high as they monitor the border.  As we drove along the canal, which was quite high, we had a nice, close-up view of the sand dunes.

A typical sunset

We then went into Yuma and spent a few days on a lot visiting some friends.  We had one leveller on the motorhome which was not fully retracting on it's own so we again got some new springs.  Even though we had just replaced them a year ago, one of two things have happened - either the springs are now stronger, or Gerry has become somewhat weaker.  After quite a struggle, the springs were on.  Too bad that wasn't the entire problem as it still didn't want to retract fully.  So out comes some sort of spray - wipe it on - and it works (this time).

While we had a wonderful visit, unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.  Our plan was to spend a few more days around Yuma but when checking some of our favourite spots, we found them quite crowded so decided to carry on and hopefully find some less crowded areas - and that we did!!  We ended up at Quartzsite and it is unbelievable how few folks there are here.  A great spot to do our yearly waxing of the motorhome.  It is quite a task but the shine is worth it.  I have included a photo to show the reflection - we are proud although a bit stiff.

We now can spend the next week relaxing and enjoying the quiet of the desert. I hope you have a great week! 

 If you wish to view any of our photos full page, just click on it.

Another Address Again

Whenever we meet someone, and they have a blog, I tend to check in from time to time to see where they are and where they have been.  Well, this past week we were once again able to meet up with George & Suzie - we met them at Unadilla, GA in November 2014.  They were the folks that told us about picking the pecans and so graciously lent us their pecan cracker.  I checked their blog and sure enough, they were in the same area as we were so it was a great chance to renew our acquaintance.  Hopefully, we get to meet up again down the  road.

While our stay at Holtville was terrific, it was time to move on.  Well, we started up the motorhome and oh no, it's missing something awful - was this just another thing that was going to happen.  We did have to replace our water pump this past week.  The motor seemed to start running properly so down the road we went and an hour later we were at a park near Winterhaven, CA.  We chose the spot because of it's close proximity to Algodones in Mexico.  

We wanted to get some dental work done and because of the low cost, we decided we would give it a whirl.  So we went across three times, had whatever work done that we wanted, bought a few things (including some vanilla and Kahlua) and were very pleased with both the work and the purchases.  We really haven't been across very much in the past few years so we were very surprised.  The entire area is now dental offices, pharmacies, and optical shops.  The number of additional dental offices is absolutely amazing.  Plus there are quite a few new restaurants, some with live entertainment, plus additional washrooms (it was always a challenge to find a bathroom).   While there have been changes, some things just stay the same - such as the unfinished building near the entrance - it's been in the same state of construction for as long as we can remember!  We may pop over one more day to buy some more strawberries which were very, very tasty!  I had considered getting a haircut  just for old times sake (right Stan) but didn't really need one.

Old guys having fun

The Silver Spur Rodeo is this weekend in Yuma so we went into town today to watch the parade.  We were really surprised at how few folks there were along the parade route.  Last weekend we went to the parade in Holtville (a town of 5,000) and there were definitely many more folks watching the parade with almost as many exhibits.  It was fun, though, to watch the various exhibits and a great way to spend a lovely, warm Saturday morning. Then it was off to do a bit of shopping and pick up a parcel that we had ordered - Gerry was almost running out of things to repair.

This week we will be moving into the Yuma Foothills for a few days to visit with some friends and then, who knows.  I hope you have a great week and I'll be back next week with a new address!!

Another Week, Another Address

Well, we have moved again.  After the hustle bustle of Los Angeles area, the sand and wind at casino one in Indio, and mostly, the freeway noise of casino two in Indio, it was time for some peace and quiet.  We chose a place just out of Holtville, CA (about an hour west of Yuma - as noted on our tour map).  Here it is quiet - a few folks around but not many, and no traffic noise or any other - well, there are  occasionally a group of helicopters go by as we are not very far from El Centro which is an air base for the US Navy.

$5 worth

This week was spent cleaning out some of the dust from the awful wind on the weekend.   The area is a large carrot growing area so we ended the week by attending the Carrot Festival and parade in Holtville.  It was an interesting parade with 70+ exhibits which included several classic car groups, a number of school and marching bands, horse groups, motorcycle group, pedal groups, and even a few floats.  There was a small midway, a number of vendors selling various types of wares, quite a few food stands - lunch was fish tacos and carrot cake.  Before heading home we bought some fresh veggies.

Last night we heard the coyotes singing in the night.  We thought this might be a good time to put out our game camera to see if anything comes around the campsites.  Sure enough, at 2 a.m. a fox came strolling by. 

And as has happened in the past few weeks, the struggle is still on to correct an electrical issue.  We did buy some new batteries which were definitely a step in the right direction.  Each adjustment seems to make things a bit better and at least now, we are functioning quite well.  Not totally fixed but getting there - or so it seems.  We do have to thank Greg and Jim for their help and expertise.

We have noticed, particularly where we are camped, there are many camper vans.  I don't know if this is a sign of the times, or if it just happens to be the circumstances.  Also, many folks are travelling alone.