The Final Countdown

I can’t believe that today is our last day in Quartzsite.  Tomorrow we leave to start our trek to Alaska, visiting several state and national parks until we hit the Canadian border in mid-May!

 

Before I forget, I have some very exciting news for you all!  My parents finally relented and I now have a Facebook Page!  It is under PoPo Young (be sure you capitalize the “Ps”) and here is my profile photo (You won’t believe how many Popo Youngs are out there in Facebook land)!  PLEASE, friend me!  I’m still going to do my blog, but during these months of extensive travel, posting on Facebook will allow us to stay in closer touch!



PoPo Young - Facebook Profile

 

These last few weeks have been a whirlwind!  We visited Los Algadones for another round of Margaritas with Claudia and Mike before they left Quartzsite for their Tiffin Motor Coach Rally.  And we couldn’t leave without purchasing a few pounds of jumbo prawn—they were so D-LISH-OUS last time!

 

 

Claudia and Mike

 

 

Unfortunately, those few hours in Mexico disqualified Mom from donating blood.  She learned as she entered the Blood Center in Phoenix last week that Mexico is on the Zika virus travel alert list, and blood donations must be postponed for 28 days upon returning from an infected area.  Oh well, she will try to find a blood center along our travel route after the 28 day period expires.

 

 

 

After temps in the 90s and massive winds, we had an unusual occurrence here in the desert:  RAIN!  On three different days!  With it came cooler temps, and unfortunately much higher humidity.  But pretty interesting to see how quickly the “washes” fill up and become flowing rivers and streams.  Can’t imagine what monsoon season is like!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spent considerable time designing my contribution to the Watson Sign Forest in Alaska!  Can’t wait to display it.  What do you think?  Pretty good likeness, if I may say so myself.   

 

Rambling RV Rat creating a Watson Lake Sign Forest"masterpiece"

 



Pretty good likeness, if I say so myself!

 

 

 

Daddy has been particularly busy prepping the RV and truck for our upcoming Alaskan trek, which has led to some alarming discoveries.

 

By taking the RV tires off to check the brakes and lube the axles, he found the wet bolt that holds the axle/leaf spring to the RV frame had broken off!  Imagine how frightening it would have been to discover this while driving!  Daddy immediately went to RV Lifestyles to order the parts, which took over a week to receive.  But all is back in safe driving order now.

 

He then brought the truck to International in Phoenix for service.  They do not make appointments--you must go and wait your turn.  We want Big Boomer in top notch condition for this trip, so Dad got up at 4 AM to drive nearly two hours to Phoenix to arrive just as the shop was opening.  He was first in line and waited hours while they did an oil change, changed the transmission fluid, put on new brakes, and gave Big Boomer the “safe driving” seal of approval and a bill for $2,370.  He arrived back in Quartzsite at 10:30 PM.  A few days later while traveling in Blythe, the transmission indicator lights up the dashboard.  Dad checks the transmission fluid level and it is low.  WHAT!!!  Back another 2 hours to International!  At least this time they take Big Boomer in right away, and ascertain that the fluid is low by 1.5 gallons!   They inspect and assure us there is no leak.   They determine the service technician just screwed up—he drained the cooler but did not account for this when determining how much transmission fluid to add.  Another disaster averted.

 

In September, we invested in a tire pressure monitor system for the truck and RV.  We figured the $400+ price tag was money well spent with this rough roads we will encounter during this 10,000 mile Alaskan trek.  We had no issues with the system until this Tuesday when the monitor started beeping. Upon inspection, Dad finds the reason the monitor is beeping is because it can’t get a reading on the rear passenger side truck tire—the sensor broke off!  WHAT!  Whoever heard of that happening?  Thankfully, the issue gets resolved quickly by our sales rep and fellow Amazonian Don.  He will mail a new sensor to our home address.  Wish this problem happened earlier in the year, when we could get our mail forwarded to Quartzsite anytime during the last 4 months.  Now we leave tomorrow and must strategize where to have our mail forwarded.

 

As the beloved Saturday Night Live character Roseanne Roseannadanna said, “it’s always something—if it ain’t one thing, it’s another”.  That pretty much sums up the full time RVing lifestyle!  It is not for the faint-hearted!

 

As civilization here in La Posa South dwindles, the wildlife becomes bolder.  The Gambel Quail just recently wandered into our campsite, there is a lizard living in our woodpile, and a ground squirrel has decided to partake of some bird seed.

 

 

 

 

The coyotes were howling on Monday and were VERY close to camp, seemingly only 50 feet on other side of wash.  The gila woodpeckers and hummingbirds have fought over the use of the feeder.  The woodpeckers have gotten very demanding for more frequent refills, pecking at our windows and on top of our roof.  Sorry fellas, closed for the season!  The rattlesnakes remain elusive—two years in a row and no “live” sighting!  But we will continue our quest when we return next winter.

 

 

 

Just when we think Spring is over here in the desert, something else starts to bloom.  Look at these beautiful blossoms on a nearby saguaro tree!

Another great winter spent in Q! 

 

 

 



Solitude and serenity!

But time to start our next exciting adventure!  I’ll speak to you again from Catalina State Park, our first stop on our journey North to Alaska!



 

Happy Easter!

To those of you who celebrate, Happy Easter!

 

I’ve been very busy all week with Easter preparations--helping with food shopping, assisting Mom with baking dessert for our guests this weekend, and THE most important task:  coloring and decorating Easter eggs!

 

 

 

RV Dreamers and fellow line dancing students, Gerry and Linda, along with Claudia and Mike joined us for a Good Friday fish dinner:  Grilled shrimp, sautéed mussels, and grilled crappy which was courtesy of our favorite fisherman, Red.  Glad we had an opportunity to get together with Gerry and Linda before they leave next week.

 

 

 

Today Claudia and Mike joined us for a pork roast dinner.   I joined Mommy for an after-dinner hike to burn off all the calories we ate.  We continue to marvel at how colorful the desert actually is!  Then, keeping our Easter tradition, we watched ‘King of Kings’ and ‘The Ten Commandments.’  We were blessed with God’s magnificent paint strokes all this weekend—three beautiful sunsets.

 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

Quartzsite has slowly become a ghost town.  Most of the vendors are gone, the QIA and Corner Laundromat have shuttered their doors for the season, and caravans of RVs seem to leave every day.  The weather remains warm and dry with excessive heavy winds.  In fact, the gusts are so bad, our wind turbine was knocked down twice this season!  What a difference from last year, when the winds were so minimal, the turbine barely turned.

 

Earlier this week, Claudia, Mike, and my family went to Squaw Lake in Yuma for a “day at the beach”.  Unfortunately, the winds were horrific!  We only ventured out with the canoe for about an hour for fear we would end up on Gilligan’s Island!  But we had such fun swimming, canoeing, and sharing our picnic lunch with the ducks!  We saw our burro friends on the way home, making it the perfect day!

 

 

Mike and his water fowl friend



The palms swayed from the velocity of the wind

 

 

Well, that’s the highlights of my week.  Hope you had a good one, too.  Will speak to you again soon!

 

Making New Friends - With And Without Clothing!

One thing we love about this lifestyle—we meet the greatest folks!  Never would have bonded with our traveling buddies Mike and Claudia in our “other lives”, nor any of the RV Dreamers group. 

We invited new friends and fellow RV Dreamers, Kelly and Bill (former Jerseyites like us!) and Bert for dinner last week, along with Claudia and Mike.  Turns out all of us are Amazonians as well!  So lots in common and plenty of conversation topics.

 

Kelly and Bill hosted a delectable Chowder Night, and we were introduced to yet another RV Dreams couple, Eileen and Gene.

 

 

We all got together at the Nelly E Saloon, a solar-powered bar in the middle of the Buckskin Mountains.  This is  a “must see” in the Southern Arizona desert (See my blog of January 23, 2015 for more on the Nelly Bar).

 

 

 

So our circle of friends and acquaintances keeps growing!  Good food, fun, and camaraderie—the perfect mix!

 

The camaraderie is not just among fellow RVers either.  We have met lots of folks who live in Quartzsite and neighboring desert towns year round.  They are all very welcoming to the desert “invasion” by snowbirds, and actually enjoy the transition of their towns during the winter months.

 

 

For instance, we recently attended March Madness, an all-day line dancing soiree with folks from as far away as Sun City, AZ.  Organized by our dance instructor, Bernine and her assistant, Maggie, my parents and I put on our boogie shoes and showcased our talents (or should I say our lack thereof).

 

These ladies are the best!  Excellent dancers and terrific teachers, they exhibit unlimited kindness and patience matching that of Mother Theresa!  It was a fun-filled boot scooting boogie day!

 

Yours truly in my cowboy gear, kicking it up!

 



We also attended the Annual Garden Party at Celia’s Rainbow Garden, a loving tribute by Paul and JoAnne Winer, with the support of the entire Quartzsite community (both full timers and seasonal) in memory of their daughter Celia.  (You can see my blog of January 27, 2015 for more about this desert memorial garden).  We chatted with the cashier from the General Store, the waitress from a local eatery, and other folks who make Quartzsite their home 12 months a year.

 

 

Paul is quite a character!  Quirky, yet quite spiritual, we were impressed with his talents as musician, songwriter, and storyteller.

 

 

Paul Winer (on piano), specializing in boogie woogie blues

 

 

He is also well known in Quartzsite as the bare-bottomed Oasis Book Store owner.  Yep, he is a certified nudist.  He does, however, don a floral ding-dong holder while working at the store.   

 



Rambling RV Rat and Paul Winer with matching banana sacks, and Dad wearing way too many layers of clothing!

 

 

 

And more exciting news:  We saw a diamond back rattle snake!   We were taking a different trail than usual and were apprised by a fellow hiker that he saw a snake up ahead!  So we ventured further than our typical 4 mile trek just to catch a glimpse!  I felt like Sherlock Holmes—I was on a mission to locate this snake.  Eureka!  There is was!  It was a juvenile, only about a 1/2 foot long at most, which we are told are more venomous than adults!  But alas, it was not among the living—apparent death by a hit and run all-terrain vehicle.  Everywhere this snake could be where there are no humans, and he decides to slink along the trail when an ATV passes!

 

 

 

That reminds me:  time for me to slink to the refrigerator and get my favorite bedtime snack:  cheese and crackers!

 

 

Talk to you soon!

 

 

 





Visit to Wickenburg, AZ

We awakened early to a pretty sunrise and the anticipation of another day trip. 

 

 

First, we headed to Congress, Arizona, to explore Escapees North Ranch RV Park.  What a lovely facility!  Like Escapees KOFA co-op, the park has pretty little desert gardens, an activity center, a clubhouse, and tons of friendly folks.

 

 

 

 

We also met up with our friends from Crazy Horse, Tammy and Marty, for a day of sightseeing in Wickenburg with Claudia and Mike.  We did a walking tour, taking pics of the lifelike John Seward Johnson statues.

 

Our Group Pic With "The Teacher"

 

"The Miner" Statue

 

"The Jail Tree"

 

 

We visited the Desert Caballeros Western Museum, with beautiful paintings and sculptures depicting life, culture, and heritage of the Southwest.  (see my blog of Wednesday, February 4, 2015, for more about Wickenburg).

 

 



 

 

 

 

We strolled along the trails at the Nature Conservancy’s Hassayampa River Preserve, filled with cottonwood trees, natural grasses, and other desert flora.  Caught a glimpse of some mallards wading in a pond, along with a colorful vermillion flycatcher (I’m getting to be quite an ornithologist!)

 

 

 

 

 

No get together would be complete without some great food, so we headed to Nichols West upon the recommendation of the receptionist at the Preserve.  This is a small hole in the wall type of place that you could drive by without ever seeing.  But it is a gem.  Quite a varied menu, from ramen noodle bowl dishes, to burgers, steaks, and chops.  And a ton of seafood options, which I thought weird for being in the middle of the desert.  We all ordered something different, and for the most part (Tammy’s chicken saltimbocca came with a ton of onions, which she can’t eat), all thoroughly enjoyed our entrees.

 

We were blessed with seeing a fantastic sunset—the perfect end to another wonderful day.