March Madness – It Ain’t Just About Basketball Here in Quartzsite, Arizona

March weather is known to “come in like a lion”.  Nay, nay I say!  This year in Quartzsite, the temperature on March 1 was 94F degrees!  But we were going to another “Howling at the Moon” festival in Yuma come hell or high water (and with the 97F temps in Yuma, we were getting close to the dry heat of hell!).  As we drove South on AZ-95 to Yuma, we noticed an exodus of RVs heading north seeking cooler temperatures.

 

The heat wave continued the next day for our Quartzsite line dancing extravaganza known as March Madness, where line dancers from neighboring areas join our Quartzsite group for an entire day of dance and fellowship.  It was the 22^nd Annual and the final one at which our long-time Instructor Vee would be at the helm.  We are grateful for her years of devotion, for the laughter, and for instilling that the only important thing about line dancing is “to have fun!”.  Though Vee is departing, line dancing will continue in Quartzsite with our new instructors Julie, Cheryl, and Diane.  So grateful they have stepped up to the plate to fill the void.  We also are fortunate to have Jody and Ken, wonderful instructors at the Desert Gold RV Park in Brenda, who always welcome us at their classes.

The Quartzsite Line Dancers.

Ken, Jody and the Brenda Line Dancers always welcome us when we pop in for an extra lesson.

All our dance instructors!

My favorite...

...March Madness participants!

Catherine presented departing Instructor Vee with a gorgeous handmade quilt consisting of all our annual Mad Madness t-shirt designs.  Truly a labor of love!

Not only did we experience high temperatures, but we had many days with ferocious winds during March.  I’ve got dust stuck in places you wouldn’t think possible!

 

Fortunately, we had only a light, cool breeze to accompany the hot weather on the day my family held my Rambling RV Rat Desert Party.  Pretty much every year we have been in Quartzsite (this was our 11^th) we have hosted a get-together.  This year included 28 dance friends, pickleball buddies, and desert neighbors.  Mom cooked up several entrees, (sausage/peppers, nacho skillet, chicken/rice) along with several salads (couscous, pasta, broccoli), and baked up a storm with foods that could accommodate most people’s dietary needs.  She may not be the best chef, but I am happy to report she maintained her record of never poisoning anybody!

 

The aerial view of the gang!

The aftermath of the party.  This is Round 3 of dishes that Mom had to wash!

After our desert party, many of us attended the final Skyhawk Dance at the Senior Center.

We used my self-portrait as directional signage for reaching our desert abode.

Speaking of signage, over the last 6 years I created 6 rock art self portraits along Old Yuma Road, representing 1 for each year of being in Tyson Wash LTVA.  Happily, they have remained intact!  Let me know if you locate them! 

We had some wonderful aerial views during March: double rainbows, the after-effects of a SpaceX launch, and writers in the sky.  And I just love witnessing the beautiful Arizona sunrises and sunsets, the masterful work of our Creator.

First the rainstorm.

Then the gorgeous double rainbow!

 

The sky after a SpaceX launch.

"Q" with an arrow pointing toward town, created by a skywriter.

Sunrise...

...Sunset, swiftly fly by the days.

Dad was busy with several projects this month.  He installed a new convention oven/microwave (our original one was not keeping temperature).  He re-sanded and re-stained the interior steps up to the bedroom (Klutzy Mom dropped cans too many times on the old steps, creating knicks/craters).  Dad also installed new running boards on my Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon, which also received a new windshield to replace the one damaged from a rock that kicked up while ON-road.   We had Shade Pro install some new slide toppers on Suite Retreat, too.

 

Getting packages from Amazon this year was more challenging than in prior years.  With Amazon, you have no idea what shipper will be used.  There is no option to select a shipping preference.     Moon Mountain Mail here in Quartzsite can accept packages shipped via FedEx and UPS for non-mail service folks for a fee of $5/package.  But they no longer can receive anything shipped via USPS unless you have a “mailbox” at their facility.    Fortunately, friend Marlys was a Godsend and allowed us to ship to her Moon Mountain address.

We have derived immense enjoyment from watching the activity at our bird feeders!  Sparrows, mourning doves, and Gambel Quail all have come to the 24-hour buffet.  Even a couple of ground squirrels have been regular patrons at the feeders.  They climb the pole, hop on board the feeders, and kick seeds out to the ground.  They are so very thoughtful and accommodating to the desert mice who come out at night to partake, too.  The whole gang loves when it is windy--we take the feeders off the pole and place them on the ground to protect them from being damaged.

We heard the howl of coyotes a few times here in Tyson Wash LTVA, but not nearly as often as we did our first 5 years when we set up at LaPosa South LTVA.    Similarly, in Tyson Wash LTVA we see few Gila woodpeckers (though we do hear them call out as they fly by), and jackrabbit visits are not as common as they were in LaPosa South LTVA (though I have uncovered plenty of evidence of their existence here in Tyson Wash LTVA!)

 

Some bunnies have been busy, busy, busy!

I always keep my eyes peeled for wildlife surprises.  And I spotted this nest below a nearby bush!

We did some motorcycle riding to the California side of the Colorado River for our annual Burro Palooza viewing.  (The burros were quite friendly--maybe they remembered me from other years!  I am sure they don’t see stuffed rats too often!)  Then, we drove over Parker Dam and continued up Highway-95 to take in the views of Lake Havasu.     

Skull Rock.

We also went for our annual visit to Celia’s Rainbow Garden, a tribute to the daughter of Joanne and the late Paul Winer (known as the “Naked Bookseller”).  Celia succumbed at age 8 to a viral infection that attacked her heart.  I just love seeing the desert flora come alive!

Unbeknownst to us beforehand, a Heroes Day Ceremony was ongoing at the Garden.  Sadly, this was another poorly attended local event due to a lack of publicity (like the Valentine’s Day Dance we attended in February).  We walked over to participate, rounding out the attendees to a dozen.   But not one of us were first responders for whom the event was honoring.   It amazes me how we have so many digital options for promoting events (not to mention the old-school way of posting flyers), and yet communication still lacks.

 

Each year Quartzsite empties out earlier and earlier.  But nothing clears out the LTVAs as quickly as nearly a week’s worth of projected temperatures of 95-110F degrees.  As for me, I am just going to lighten up and head on over to the clothing-optional “Magic Circle” in LaPosa South.  

Speaking of Paul Winer earlier, I found this photo from 2016!   Mom photographed Dad and me with him outside his bookstore.   You can see quite clearly why he was called "The Naked Bookseller".  

"N" is for Nudists, and this Rambling RV Rat has just joined their ranks.

 Talk to you again soon!

 

 

 

 

Time Flies by In Southwest Arizona

The phrase “time flies when you are having fun” surely is true!  Our calendar has been packed with a variety of activities in addition to pickleball and line dancing, from admiring the creations of local artists at the Mountain Quail Invitational Art Show to locating more geocaches hidden within the desert. 

 

 Not only is it fun to find and log the hidden geocaches, I love seeing different areas of the desert.  Here the wildflowers were scattered like throw rugs on the desert floor.

Lots of colorful blooms in this wash.

The desert is full of interesting finds, from rock art...

...to a pet cemetery...

...to a memorial garden for human loved ones.

 

My gal pal, Mademoiselle Rochelle, and I celebrated Valentine's Day with my parents at the Quartzsite Community Center.  The town hosted an afternoon dance there, complete with refreshments and DJ, for a cost that fit right into this stuffed rat’s cheese budget: FREE!     Sadly, like the prior 2 years, this event was poorly attended.  In fact, even if I counted the volunteers, town employee who organized the event, and the DJ, we didn’t total a dozen participants.  (Obviously, they need to work on promotion/advertising!)  The good news was that we had a wide berth for dancing.  Furthermore, a lack of attendees increased our odds of winning a door prize.

 

Dad was the winner of one of the two door prizes.

For a third year, we attended the DRV Owners Travel Club Luncheon.  Held at The Hub in Mesa, it was an afternoon of good food, conversation, and camaraderie among 30+ fellow DRV Owners.   Afterwards, we had our annual visit with Marie, whom we met, along with her hubby Bob, when we all workcamped at Crazy Horse Memorial in Custer, South Dakota in 2015.  People may think the nomadic lifestyle is a lonely one.  But we have met wonderful people through the years with whom we have sustained long-term friendships.

 

We have had unseasonably warm weather in Quartzsite this year, with temps hitting 90F+ degrees late in February.  It has been so warm, the desert creatures are already emerging!

This young snake met his demise before I stumbled upon him while hiking with Mom.

Scorpion!

 

This lizard went for a swim in our makeshift birdbath.

We spent a glorious day in Parker.  First, we met up for lunch at Pirates Den with Shirleen/Hank.  (We met these wonderful folks through the now-defunct RVillage app when we all ventured North to Alaska in 2016.  We all have kept in touch, and whenever our paths cross every few years, we get together.  We last saw them in 2022.)     Then we headed out to the Kelly Hughes Band Desert Party on BLM lands off Shea Road.  Kelly ALWAYS delivers on his guarantee of a good time.

This harlot at the Pirate's Den tried to seduce me, but I remained true to Mademoiselle Rochelle.

Kicking the dust up (literally!) when dancing in the desert.

We had two off-road Jeep adventures with the Rock-N-Slow Rollers, courtesy of Clayton as leader and Helen/Ted as tail gunners.  Our first outing was a loop ride along Parker Mesa, which offered views of Vampire Mine and the Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge.  Though not a technical ride, the trails were very rough because of the effects of the summer monsoon season.  The power of water to change topography never ceases to amaze me.  

Hayden-Rhodes Aqueduct.

Ocotillo in full bloom. 

Bill Williams River in the background.

View of Parker Mesa.

On another day, we all ventured to Conglomerate Mine and Patton’s Cave.  Though we have been to the latter site on a prior occasion, we traveled along trails we had not done previously.  That is the beauty of off-roading in the desert.  There are so many trails from which to choose to traverse to a site.  And this route was quite scenic, including seeing my very first non-captive desert tortoise!

Love is in the air with these desert creepy crawlers!

Jackpot!  A desert tortoise in the wild!

How friendly the saguaro cacti are--they always seen to be waving to me!

Movie set in Bouse.

Patton's Cave.

Since we dwell in these desert lands, we thought it only fitting to join the Friends of the Sonoran Desert in their monthly clean-up efforts.  What an awesome group of folks.   We all share a desire to keep our public lands clean and accessible for us all to enjoy.   The leaders identified 16 specific areas within BLM La Posa North/Scadden Wash for us to tackle.  We saw abandoned cars, old appliances, and broken tents.  Our group collected at least a dozen broken down/rusty/tireless bicycles  We picked up more dirty diapers and underwear than I care to think about!   Dozens of cardboard boxes, pallets, and hundreds of empty bottles/cans were strewn on the desert floor.   I gotta tell ya, it was quite appalling!    And they call my Rodentia brethren hoarders!  I think you humans are worse than any packrat can be!  See for yourselves by watching this video done by a volunteer of the Friends of the Sonoran Desert.

 

Max was one of several dogs who attended the clean-up, but he was the ONLY one who actually picked up trash.

Well, time to chill out and enjoy another glorious evening sunset.