The Time Has Come

 As with every trip, it comes the time to go home and this past week was the time.

We had a nice spot not far from the Valley of Fire State Park.  On a clear day (of which we had some), you could see the mountains in the distance.  The reason I refer to a clear day, it is not always the way near Vegas. 

The smog can hang in the valley but we were fortunate most of the time.

We were parked just north of Las Vegas enjoying the lovely weather but knew that we had only a couple of weeks before we had to head home.  Most of our trip home is through the mountains and of course, the weather can sometimes be somewhat unpredictable.  Our theory to to keep an eye on the forecast and if it looks like we have about a three day window, we are on our way!

On our last day, our neighbour invited us for supper.  He is a retired police officer from Chicago, and since he is of Puerto Rico heritage, he cooked us a traditional meal.  We had a great time visiting, enjoyed a most delicious meal, and hope to meet up again one day!

Our trip home was almost picture perfect. The temperatures were mostly 21c during the day, nights around 9c, pretty well no wind and whenever there was some, it was always a tailwind, and clear skies.  As we were closer to the border, the temps dropped (to about 6c) and it became cloudy but still a great travelling day.  

Through the last part of Nevada

Through Salt Lake City about 4 pm

Here are several photos mostly while travelling through Utah!

The border crossing - about the same as in past years.  The agent we had was pleasant, and they asked very few questions.  I take that it means that we have very innocent looking faces!

It has been another wonderful trip but all good things must come to an end.  Thanks for following our winter - I hope you were able to enjoy our trip with us.  Until then, stay healthy, stay safe, and until our next trip, take care of yourselves and of those you love!!

Just Keep Moving

 We started the week in Lake Havasu City.  We have often spent some time here in the past but don't usually have any high internet demands.  Well this year it was different - one of our granddaughters was in a volleyball tournament and they stream the games.  Our signal wasn't quite strong enough so each time she had a game, we would drive to the top of the nearest hill and voila - we could watch her games.

Sunday is the day of a large swap meet.   We toured through it but didn't see anything that really interested us.  We did, however, see some items for sale that you certainly would not have seen at home. 

Then off we went to lunch and Gerry spotted a car that caught his eye.  The way it looked, it could only be used on some incredibly smooth surfaces athough Gerry thought that perhaps it had air suspension.  Sure would be easy to fall into.

Don't you love this bit of advertising.

Later on in the week we went for a stroll along the lake and the area around London Bridge.  We knew it was spring break so expected it to be quite crowded but it was not to be.  We were absolutely amazed at how few people were around. And the marina - what happened to all the boats. 

We have been here some ten or so years ago and the difference is incredible - where have all the people gone?  It is always a great place to visit.

The week goes by and it is once again time to move on so this time we head north of Las Vegas near the Valley of Fire State Park.  This park is the oldest and largest state park in the state of Nevada.  The rock formations and the colours are beautiful.  We went on a couple of hikes - some were quite easy as most of the walking was on a rock surface but some of it was in soft sand.  Believe me when I said that we got quite a workout.  Shortly after we got into the park, we rounded a corner and we came across a young mountain sheep standing on a rock - perfect timing.

  Here are some photos of our drive through the park.

The Wave

The Arch

Then today we got some company - Darren and JoAnne came to see us on their way through.  They are from Regina but we just don't seem to meet up.  Darren and I worked together many years ago and (not for as many years ago) I worked for him.  What a nice surprise and a great chance to catch up.

The weather is starting to turn pretty warm, at least for this week.  No definite plans for next week so I will be back once again.  Have a great week.

Mostly Quartzsite

 Slowly, the northward trek has started.  We spent most of the week near Quartzsite, AZ.  For those that don't know, Quartzsite, AZ is a boondockers heaven.  There are acres and acres and acres of free dry camping, plus vendors by the dozens in town.  This time of year, however, business is rather slow so most have packed up and carried on to somewhere else.  Here are a couple of views from our motorhome.

We took a drive out to Crystal Hill in search of some crystals.  We chose one of the warmest days so needless to say we didn't spend much time looking for crystals. 

We were a bit surprised to see that there were several small campers out there since it is 20+ km from town over a road that is not particularly maintained.

We chatted with this fellow.  He and his wife travel around the country in this camper

There finally has been some rain in the area.  It has been 209 days since this area has last seen any rain.  It is amazing how quickly it gathers and then how quickly it is gone and it looks as if there never was any rain at all.

A couple of days ago we carried on to Lake Havasu City.  There is an area just south of town that we particularly like - close to town, quiet, but it does have one little drawback - the internet service is not the greatest.  I don't recall it being this slow in past years but perhaps the memory is failing a bit??

Since this is dry camping, most folks are powered by solar but many also have a generator which is mainly use with consecutive days of cloud.  There is a fellow out here that seems to be running his generator non-stop.  He did take great care to put it in a box which is nicely insulated to minimize the noise.  But, he was only concerned with  minimizing it for himself - too bad.  Glad I'm not his neighbour.

We have had some really nice weather but the last couple of days have been less than desirable.  The high temp yesterday was 10c with a cold south wind.  We ran the heater more yesterday than we have the rest of the winter.  Today was much nicer with promises of nicer temps to come.

As I close the week off, I hope everyone has a great week ahead.

Finally Moved

 Today we left our friend's place in Yuma as we start a very slow trek northward. We had planned on leaving a couple of days earlier but wind and blowing dust changed our minds. While we were at Gary Marleen's, we shared many laughs and it was sad to leave but time waits for no one.   The following photo could have a variety of interpretations as to what was happening.

Actually, Marleen is in the process of finishing an old table.  There was a discussion as to how to put the leaf extension down and the only way was to actually have a look at it.

Today we arrived in Quartzsite.  It was an enjoyable trip - a bit of wind but not too bad, clear and sunny skies, and not a whole lot of traffic. We are surprised at how many people are still here.  Wherever we have been, it seems that the traffic is down and so are the RV's but compared to last year, same time, there are quite a few more around.

We decided to go and wander through the few vendors that are still around.  One is a discount store with mostly groceries.  There were some goods that seem to be a tad ominous based on the current situation and the concerns that some folks have.

And then there are some that seem have quite a variety of goods for sale.

But the price of eggs just seem to keep increasing.

We are once again in an area where we see quite a few saguaro cactus.  Often when they die they simply fall over or break off.  Not this one - it makes a lovely arch.

This past week has been a short one since I was a couple of days late with my last blog but I am back on schedule (hopefully).  Everyone, take care and have yourself a great week.

Time Flies

 I promised myself that I would write and post my weekly blog every Saturday evening.  Well, here it is Monday afternoon and I am just getting it done.  Time just seems to be speeding by without having to do very much.

The weather this past week - we have seen wind, and cool, and hot.  It is windy and dusty today but there is a promise of nice mild temperatures with minimum wind - our favourite weather of course.

This week we celebrated a couple of birthdays.  Marleen's brother and sister-in-law came for a few days and it was Melinda's birthday so of course, a celebration.  Then we celebrated Gary's birthday so naturally, more cake and visiting.

Whenever one is RV'ing, there is always a great chance that something needs to be fixed.  Well, this past week it was happening.  We had a water heater problem so after a diagnosis and some pondering, Gerry ran a new wire, and voila - we have hot water.

We have no idea of the problem this fellow had but we think he must have been part gumby as he twisted himself into the bay of his fifth wheel.

Then we have Gary who is always working on a project.  He always has a new idea on how something should work better which he will thoroughly research and without a doubt, he will be able to complete the task to his specifications.  Of course, the rest of us just get to sit around and enjoy the afternoon.

It has been terribly dry here so there are not many flowers other than the odd plant in town, but we enjoy them where ever they are.  This ocotillo is fascinating as it looks totally dead other than the flowers - not a leaf to be seen.

And of course, some folks have a real imagination for  what to put in their front years.

Before we head out we visited a date farm to buy our annual supply of dates.  Here were some just ready to be picked.

This next week will be a short week as I promise to do my writing Saturday evening.  We are also planning on going somewhere down the road so will likely be writing from another spot.  Hope you all have a great rest of the week!!