Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Technically, another moving day at Sundance1 RV Park in Casa Grande, AZ. Someone had site 431 reserved, so we were moved to site 106. We could have moved Monday, but I wanted to wait out the rain. This morning the rain had stopped, so I quickly unhooked everything and moved to our new spot. Just finished setting up again before the rain returned.

Our coach faced west on 431 putting the patio side in the shade. On the new site, the coach faced east which would give us a nice sunny patio. Of course, the rain will have to stop before we get to see the sun. This new side of the park had a much higher concentration of RV's to park models and we were just around the corner from another 2000 model American Dream!

Saturday, January 24, 2015

A week of dry camping was enough for us to adequately sample the Quartzsite experience, so we said our goodbyes and headed out.

Almost the same time a year ago we were in Casa Grande, AZ, and liked it enough to spend some more time there. To get there, we looked at several options, but ultimately chose the most direct (and shortest) route which took us through the Phoenix traffic. It wasn't too terrible since it was a Saturday, so the 179.6 miles (71,667.5 mile total) went by quickly.  

We were set up on lot 431 of Sundance1 RV Park, Casa Grande, AZ, quickly and showered the desert dust off of ourselves as soon as we had hot water!

After a little sprucing up and three loads of laundry later, there was no evidence we had spent the last week in the dusty desert - so nice to return to civilization!

Friday, January 23, 2015

Everyone told us, "you have to experience Quartzsite, AZ, at least once." Now that we have, I can see the appeal and would probably visit again under the right circumstances (meeting friends). I could do with a little less wind and dust, and warmer at night would not hurt my feelings. Nights were great for viewing the stars. While I did not get out the telescope, it was very satisfying to study the sky with binoculars and get reacquainted with the constellations.

Our mini, impromptu American Coach Rally grew to four coaches. George and Jeanne joined us in their 2000 American Tradition.

We enjoyed good friends and good food at Sweet Darlene's Restaurant & Bakery.

After breakfast, we headed back to the big tent just to be sure we didn't miss anything important. As it turned out, we found a booth with a special deal that might fit into our plans - two weeks for the price of one in Casa Grande, AZ, (half price camping is always worth considering.)

There were a lot of strollers being pushed around at the Quartzsite RV Show, but they held dogs and cats instead of babies. Doggy belly packs tout "Up to 10 pounds" - Luckily Sam weighs in at 20.5 or I would have to have one!

Boy, that's ruff!!! :)

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

A few miles south of Quartzsite there was a small, inconspicuous gravel road heading east from Hwy 95 into the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. A little sign pointed towards Palm Canyon. The road was rough, but thanks to Loren's exciting desert excursion a few weeks ago, we realized just how mundane Palm Canyon Road was.

Sam was able to hike along with us, but between the sharp gravel underfoot, the cactus thorns and the 40 mph winds, he might have preferred to sit this one out. Just kidding, Sam is always up for a hike. It was us who started to rethink our decision! Especially me, without a coat. Nearly the entire hike was in the shadows of the mountains. Because it was in the shadows, it was difficult to see where the trail was taking us. We could not see a canyon and the path just seemed to head straight for the vertical walls of rock. 

The short, uphill hike was not too strenuous and the falling over sign below signaled its end. I think we could have continued scrambling over the rocks to get to the palms, but there was no more trail. The wind chill had to be down around 40 degrees or so. We took our pictures and headed back toward the sunshine.

Looking back from the top of the trail, the contrast between the mountains and the desert flatlands was striking. I suspect these were young mountains that have had little time for erosion to soften them. The loose rock on the trail seemed sharp like it had been chipped away from the mountains above. Maybe the lack of flowing water to tumble and smooth the stones left the sharp edges. After a few hundred thousand more freeze/thaw cycles, the stones will probably be reduced to sand.

We loved the play of light on the nearby cacti while the dust in the air gave the background a foggy feel. The desert certainly has a beauty all its own!

Monday, Tuesday, January 19 & 20, 2015

Quartzsite was covered with flea markets and vendors everywhere. There was something for everyone and a whole lot of stuff you really just did not need but wanted anyway.

Quartzsite was very pet-friendly.  Many RV'ers travel with a dog or cat (or two)...

...But this Sugar Glider was new to me!  Just $275 will get you started.

Inside the big tent, there were a lot of vendors mostly aimed towards Rv'ers. We tried very hard to just look on our first visit. It's better to sleep on purchases rather than jumping right into buying. My strategy worked - I don't think we bought anything. I did, however, note a few things to research (and buy later, unless I can find better prices online).

We skipped the first two days of the show hoping for reduced crowds. Oops, it didn't work.

I thought this was a little different - there were electric vehicle charging stations behind the Carl's Jr. Sure enough, there was a Tesla plugged in. I suppose the owners were inside having a burger while the car charged.

Our coaches were nearly three-quarters of a mile from the highway beside the jeep trail they called a road. Our car had a rough time negotiating the rocks, so driving slowly not only produced less dust for fellow campers, but it also protected our oil pan!

To the right are our coaches and to the left, you can see just how crowded the area was. Any level place was fair game, as long as you didn't encroach too terribly on your neighbors.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Moving day - we headed to Quartzsite, AZ, to experience the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation and RV Show. We had a little convoy going with Loren and Sharon leading, Victor in the middle and Joani and I bringing up the rear. We parked in the (free) Hi Jolly - BLM 14 Day Camping Area north of town with the odometer showing our trip was exactly 100.0 miles (71,487.9 miles total). We really had no planned time frame for our stay, but everyone gets a 14-day pass from the camp host.

It was like a mini, impromptu American Coach Rally, with Loren and Sharon's 2003 American Tradition, our 2000 American Dream and Victor's 1999 American Dream.

The warm desert breeze made it perfect for enjoying the afternoon.

The area was somewhat bleak, but it was crowded all the same. Quartzsite draws a huge crowd every year. In the past, some estimates put the number at 750,000 to 1,000,000 people. Recent years, however, have had fewer visitors.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

The best pizza in the area was up on the mountain in Peeples Valley, AZ, some 20+ miles away, but it was worth the drive. The Thunderbird Cafe closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so people were ready for their pizza on Thursday! It was nearly standing room only in the place. We (Loren, Sharon, Joani and I) found seats at the bar which meant we were close to the oven. The heat felt nice considering the high desert chill outside. You can see the wood fire inside the pizza oven - must be what made the pizza so good!

Our chef, Gary, left a career in engineering to make wood-fired pizzas.

We ordered the antipasto plate as an appetizer (on our first visit some deer hunters had it) - looks good, huh? (Side note: we knew they were deer hunters because they were dressed in camouflage and their truck was covered in mud and there was a ten point buck in the truck bed.)

It was cold and dark outside, but Joani wanted a picture of the Thunderbird - so she took a picture of the restaurant's postcard. I thought the color was a little more coral, so maybe the sun had faded the red a bit. Our chef, Gary, said the car runs but was in need of a little bit of maintenance.

 I snapped this photo of T-Bird Cafe's postcard. The T-Bird is a real beauty!

Lucky thing we behaved ourselves!

Saturday, January 10, 2015

We had several days at the North Ranch Escapee Park in Congress, AZ, with the threat of rain hanging around. It actually did rain a little, but it mostly just gave us some nice looking skies  Gary's lot backs up to a wash where Sam loved to walk. I think the coyotes left some interesting scents that Sam loved to explore.

Everyone has to have a hobby - this guy created art from empty Coke cans. The first time I passed this lot I didn't even notice the can cactus.

I met Gary's neighbor, Jodi, while walking Sam one morning. I asked her about the big grapefruit tree in her back yard. I found out it actually had grapefruit, oranges and lemons growing on it. The tree included grafts from all three fruit trees. She said we could help ourselves to grapefruit - I love freshly picked fruit! The oranges were difficult to see, but they were definitely in there.

The park had a very nice cactus garden. There were some fine specimens with labels which helped me to learn some of the cacti names.

I really liked the Teddy Bear Cholla which looked soft and cuddly, but those spines were sharp!

This guy had a different way of carrying his Jeep around with him. I thought he was just showing off his Jeep's climbing prowess, but he admitted he actually used a winch to stow the Jeep for travel.

There were some ATV trails out of the park. Loren and I rode our bicycles out to the Lonely Saguaro. Loose sand in a few of the washes made the trail difficult on bikes

The afternoon sun would light up the clouds giving them a luminous look - they looked even more luminous when viewed with a glass of wine in my hand - the perfect end to a lazy day.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Sometimes, sitting around talking about our coaches led us to actual work, but most of the time it just resulted in relaxing conversation.

Not every day needs to be spent climbing a mountain!  Relaxing with Loren, Sharon and Gary was the perfect way to enjoy the desert atmosphere.

I believe there were about 400 lots in the North Ranch Escapee Park in Congress, AZ. Probably 300 of them had either a park model home or something larger. I enjoyed looking at all of the options and thinking about what we might have as our home base sometime in the far, far future.

Another beautiful desert sunset at the North Ranch Escapee Park in Congress, AZ.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Loren, Sharon, Joani and I took a little road trip to Jerome, AZ. It's an artsy little town set into the mountainside. I didn't expect there would be any shopping for me (I was wrong), but I'm always up for the food and the million dollar views.  

Jerome sat on the side of the mountain at 5,280ft.  Below you could see the town of Cottonwood, AZ.

Jerome managed to make the leap from Ghost Town to Artists Colony and now has over 500 residents.

Across the valley were the red rocks of Sedona, AZ, (which will have to wait for another day), but even through the haze, the beauty was evident.

After the long drive, everyone was hungry (and we needed our strength for the shopping ahead). The Mile High Inn and Grill was perfect. We had the best view in the house with the window seats right at the front door. Sharon and Loren each ordered the special Italian Meatloaf sandwich. By the end of the meal, I think they wished they had just split one. I, of course, ate all of my huge burger and onion rings and just let my belt out a notch.

The furniture made from reclaimed barn wood by Tim McClellan in the Western Heritage Gallery was amazing and top notch.

I kept seeing more projects I need to try. Some, I would turn on my new lathe and others would just use the exotic hardwood scraps I will inevitably collect as I am turning pens. 

"When is a weed a flower?  When it is given by a child."

Below was a massive, truly unique kaleidoscope. A group of artists worked on it for two years and decided they would never do anything quite so extensive again. You didn't even have to look through it to appreciate the beauty and detailed craftsmanship in this Steampunk inspired work of art. 

Signed "Bro MacHines" and priced at $12,000.

Nellie Bly Kaleidoscope Shop touts the largest collection of kaleidoscopes in the world.

There were a lot of celebrities in this shop, but clearly, Elvis was still the King.

Who knew I would find a shop made for me? The nice lady cautiously allowed me to sample some of her Ghost Pepper sauces. I told her I regularly use Dave's Insanity Sauce (which she carried), so I was pretty well acquainted with "heat". She said her Grim Reaper sauce was even hotter. Of course, I had to try some! I think it was pretty light on the Ghost Peppers, but it had a really nice flavor so I took a bottle home with me.

Several of the buildings have had problems with sliding downhill over the years giving rise to some uneven sidewalks and odd looking repairs. At this point, I just hope they never need to find out if this hydrant is still working.