While boondocking for an extended period in Quartzsite,
Arizona, it is our tradition to visit Yuma, Parker, and Bouse, as well as some
areas of California, for fun activities and events, always ensuring we maximize
our time and mileage to include errands we need to make. This season was no exception.
Yuma provided several days this season of live music, food,
vendors, and dancing. First, we took
part in its “Howling at the Moon” events in January and February. This is where a fun-loving group
congregates on Telegraph Road for 2 evenings each month (October-April),
starting at 4 p.m., to celebrate the full moon.
The party finale is a resounding chorus of wolf howls as the moon rises
above the mountains.
Wolfie and yours truly, Rambling RV Rat, have become well acquainted through the years.
My "Howling" peeps.
Lots of canines join their humans for "Howling".
The moon was a little shy on this particular "Howling" evening.
We were also
thrilled to see the Kelly Hughes Band performance in late February at the Naked
Date Farm in Yuma.Kelly is a talented
musician and singer.He is also always
good for a laugh and very successful in engaging his audience.(Yuma has other fun places to visit like
the Territorial Prison, Old Town Yuma, Castle Dome, Colorado River State
Historic Park, Mittry Lake, and Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, all of which
we have done as day trips over the course of our 9 prior years in Quartzsite.)
Kelly Hughes Band always attracts a large crowd.
Deb/Dennis joined us for their first Kelly Hughes Band performance. Like us, they enjoyed it so much, they can't wait for another one.
Kelly Hughes and his bandmate leading the audience (Mom's in there, too) in a line dance.
Some gorgeous views along...
...Dome Valley Road in Yuma.
Accompanied by glorious weather and friend Melana on a Saturday
in January, we took our Jeep to the Desert Bar/Nellie E. Saloon in Parker. Hidden within the Buckskin Mountains on an old
mining claim, the Bar is completely off-grid, operating solely by solar energy
and gravity-fed well water.We noticed
that the 5-mile narrow and rocky Cienega Springs Road that climbs up to the Bar/Saloon
was in better condition for access by HIGH CLEARANCE vehicles than the last
time we visited with friends several years ago.And it seemed to us that new areas have been added to the “floor
plan”.For a remote eatery with limited
cooking options, we were surprised the food was so tasty.And the live music provides great
entertainment.Open only on weekends
from October through March, opportunities to visit are limited. And bring your good old greenbacks, because
cash is the only payment option.But it
is worth a visit to transport you back to the days of the Wild West.
That same day, we stopped at nearby Poston, the site of an
internment camp used during World War II.
Sadly, under the orders of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, thousands of
American citizens and legals residents of Japanese heritage were uprooted from
their homes and forced to move here until the War was over. Poston was the largest of the 10 internment
camps operated by the U.S. government. Even more disturbing is the fact that
Poston was built on lands within the Colorado River Indian Tribal (CRIT)
Reservation, despite the adamant objections of the CRIT Council, who wanted no
part of inflicting injustice on the Japanese like the U.S. Government had done
to the American Indians.
Lots of cotton fields near Poston.
Monument on the site of the Japanese internment Camp in Poston.
In mid-January friends Herb and Ginger (a.k.a.
the2spices) were kind enough to take us on our inaugural off-roading
tour. We met up in Yuma and proceeded
across to California via the Ocean-to-Ocean and American Canal Bridges to the Valley of Names. Started by World War II military men
stationed nearby, the Valley of Names is miles and miles of desert rock
art. Being a rock artist myself, I was
compelled to leave one of my own self-portraits in the Valley. We then visited a nearby slot canyon, which
was very cool to walk through. As we
returned to our Jeeps, the wind really kicked up, causing the desert sand to
blow around and hit my face. I felt like
I was getting a micro-derm abrasion treatment!
(It also required Dad to use caution when peeing into the wind).
American Canal.
Valley of Names.
Me directing my assistants (a.k.a. Mom and Dad) during the creation of my rock art.
My completed masterpiece--a self portrait, of course!
Slot canyon.
We topped off our day with a late lunch at A&W, a burger
joint in Yuma that Herb indicated was known for delicious burgers grilled to
perfection to your own liking. Just our
luck, a new cook was on duty. So, the
medium rare burgers the whole gang ordered came back well-done, resembling the color
and texture of shoe leather. Very
disappointing. But having such good
company and a fun day off-roading made it more tolerable.
In late January, we drove to the University of California
campus in Holtsville, California, to participate in a Farm Smart U-Pick produce
program. We picked our own broccoli,
cauliflower, and romaine lettuce from the fields, grabbing enough to share with
our desert friends.
Who will harvest the crops? Look at all of us who have answered the call!
That same day we popped over to the Imperial Sand Dunes in
Niland for a short time, followed by an extensive visit to the Geographical
Center of the World/The Museum of History in Granite within Felicity,
California. What an engaging, unique
place. We spent 2+ hours (and could
have stayed longer if Dad hadn’t gotten hungry) exploring and learning,
making the $10/adult admission fee a bargain.
Inscribed on the blocks of granite were all sorts of educational facts,
historical recounts, and neat trivia: from
the origins of Islam to the discovery of aviation, from linguistics to zoology,
from the seas to the galaxies. There are
many blank granite slabs remaining for inscription. Maybe I will pay to inscribe my biography: how
I was rescued from a dark corner of a toy store to become the one and only
Rambling RV Rat. Or perhaps I will pay some cheddar for a plaque in the Maze of Honor on the premises. Regardless, I highly recommend a visit to
this museum/art exhibit.
We are all just a speck of sand...
...within the enormity of the universe.
My parents standing in the Geographical Center of the World.
Interior of the Chapel.
Rear view of the complex taken from the steps of the Chapel.
The information imparted on these slabs of granite is fascinating and reminds me of the contents found in the publication "Uncle John's Bathroom Reader". (Mom would receive the latest edition as a Christmas gift each year from Aunt Laurie.)
If my brethren, the edible doramouse, is commemorated on a granite slab, surely Rambling RV Rat deserves to be exalted, too.
The saguaro didn’t see its shadow on February 2. So, Mother Nature flicked her switch to
warmer weather (for a brief period) during the Arizona Drag Boat Races
held along the Colorado River at Pirate’s Den Resort in Parker. Like car dragsters, these boats race at high
speeds and run on different types of fuel.
We enjoyed watching the races, both as we sat alongside the River and
while dining at Pirate’s Den.
While most were watching the NFL Super Bowl on February 8,
we were 1 of 25 machines (only 3 of which were Jeeps) participating in a
guided off-road tour of Camp Bouse sponsored by the Bouse Chamber of
Commerce. Camp Bouse was a U.S. army
test/training encampment located in the desert lands of Mohave County, Arizona.
Occupied from August 1943 to April 1944, it was the testing site selected by
General Patton for the top-secret Canal Defense Light (CDL) to be used
on U.S. tanks in Africa. The project was
so top secret, a hospital was built on-site to treat any soldiers who incurred
sickness/injury, just so no one would leave the premises and leak out any
information. The CDL was to produce a
light so intense (13 million candlepower), it would blind/confuse the
enemy—or at least that was the intent.
But, the CDL did not live up to expectations and the plan to use it in
battle in Africa was abandoned. The
Chamber of Commerce asked for a $10/person donation for the tour. In return, we were provided with a delicious,
hearty breakfast, chances to receive door prizes, and an informative, interesting,
and sometimes humorous narrative by our guide.
He had wonderful stories to impart, many received firsthand from those
stationed at Camp Bouse.
Sunrise at the Bouse Community Park, where our breakfast was served and the tour began.
Our guide presenting the history of Camp Bouse at the site of the Hospital (and a geocache!)
The dark mound front and center of the mountains was the Black Knoll Target Range.
Site of the Camp Bouse Chapel.
Although General Patton was instrumental in selecting these desert lands as the training site, he never stepped foot in Camp Bouse.
The old assay office acts as the Bouse Museum, which we re-visited after the tour...
...to see the replica of the CDL.
A tribute to 8-ball the Burro, a mascot at Camp Bouse. 8-Ball met his demise when 1 of the nurses stationed at the Hospital reported to the commanding officer (who was also her supposed lover) that 8-Ball was stealing the nurses' undergarments from the clothes line. The commanding officer ordered 8-Ball be killed with no respectful burial for a comrade. The soldiers didn't follow their orders fully. They killed 8-Ball, but gave him an honorable burial.
Some video highlighting off-roading to Camp Bouse and Valley of Names.
On a glorious Sunday morning in late February, we rode Dad’s
Maximus the Trike and Mom’s Yellow Jacket motorcycle across the border of
California and rode along the Colorado River in Earp. Our annual mission: to do some hiking in search of wild
burros. Well, we hit the jackpot! Our 2025 Burropalooza consisted of 15
sightings! We came back over to Arizona
via Parker Dam and celebrated our successful mission with a tasty meal at
Pirate’s Den.
We always commence our burro-sighting missions at the Crossroads Back Country Byway.
Our hiking begins...
...and so does Burropalooza!
View of Colorado River from California side.
Parker Dam.
My pals at...
...Pirate's Den.
I still want to tell you about our day trip to Phoenix, but I’ve
rambled on long enough. I’ll talk to
you again soon!