Day 9 ~ Quartzsite again

Today the wind came up and the skys were cloudy. It is pretty chilly with the wind across the desert.
We headed to town and went to the Celia Memorial Garden. The previously mentioned bookstore owner had a daughter who died at age 8 from a heart ailment. In her memory, the town built a memorial rock garden. Other families have added their own memorials to loved ones on the multi-acre site. Paths wander along the many rock arrangements where we also found a variety of desert plants and cactus.
We next returned to the bookstore and talked with Celia's father Paul. Because of the chill in the air, he was wearing his shirt. Before our picture he apologized that it was just too cold to go without it.

After lunch, we decided we should also check out the town's real estate. We are always looking for an opportunity and we definitely found it here! As soon as we finish negotiations we will send you our new address!

Chig spent a good part of yesterday and today replacing the RV water pump. Curt was very helpful but today the new pump quit working. Chig & Curt rushed back to the RV sale and caught the salesman as he was packing up. The second new pump is now installed and working! Tomorrow morning we are off to Yuma.

Day 8 ~ Desert Bar

Today the entire group of 17 went to Desert Bar. We also visited one year ago. It is located near Parker, AZ. and is 5 miles off highway 95 via a very dusty dirt road. The bar is only open on Sat. & Sun. Labor Day to Memorial Day. The owner of the bar has created a desert oasis operated by multiple huge solar panels. There is always live music, bar-b-qued food and plenty of beverages. It is a pretty amazing and fun place. Go to this web site to see the history and pictures. http://www.thedesertbar.com/ Seven of our Lake Havasu friends rode their quads and met us there. At 3:00 we left to visit Sacramento friends Roy & Diane. They stay every year in Parker at La Paz County Park. Their site is right on the Colorado River. Tony & Sharon (Sacramento/Lake Havasu friends) met us there and we had great appetizers, delicious margaritas and a very nice visit.
My second morning in the desert was a lot better. Only two to go : )

Day 7 ~

Well here it is Day 7 and my last entry was on Day 2.
We left Desert Hot Springs on Tuesday and headed to Brenda, Az., about 15 miles Northeast of Quartzsite. As we drove past Quartzsite we could see the sea of motorhomes, trailers and fifth wheels parked in every direction. Most of the land surrounding Quartzsite is BLM land and because camping is virtually free, it is attractive to many retirees.
We arrived at Black Rock RV Park in Brenda to find they did not have our reservation. The on-line reservation had not been matched with their phone-in reservations. Eventually it was all worked out.
We had a really nice visit with Chig's first cousin Jack and his wife Pat. Jack will soon turn 81 and is the oldest living Chigbrow. We enjoyed our meals together while Chig and Jack reviewed and improved the family tree documents.
On Wednesday we took a long drive and saw General Patton's tank training area. We then drove to Parker, across Parker Dam and back to Parker along the California side of the Colorado River. We were sorry to leave but hope to see Jack and Pat again soon.
Early Thursday morning we left Brenda and headed to Quarzsite to visit the Oasis Book Store. The owner is a "nudist" and works in a g-string, sock and sandals. He was not working that day but we did find some interesting books.
Later Thursday morning we reconnected with our group out on the desert just West of Quartzsite. Since owning a motorhome we have never "Boondocked". If you are not familiar with the term it means camping for free without services. There is no electricity, no water connection and no sewer drainage. We are limited to using our generator to charge the batteries and our electronics and being ultra conservative with water usage which is limited to the amount stored in our fresh water tank. Last night Chig said he knew he was a "fair weather" golfer but now he is certain he is also a "fair weather" camper. It is an experience we can now cross off our list.
Today we attended the 28th Annual Sports, Vacation and RV Show. We arrived at 9:00 in the morning. It takes place in a huge tent that is approvimately 1/2 mile long and 1/4 mile wide. It was freezing cold. I finally thawed out in the afternoon as the temperature climbed to around 75. It was another interesting, one time is enough, experience. Lots and lots of people and lots and lots of "stuff". I spent $4.00 and Chig spent $20. The vendors will not make their living on us.
Tomorrow we will be off on another adventure!

Day 2 ~ Desert Hot Springs

Today we headed to Desert Hot Springs. On the way we stopped in Redlands to meet two of Chig's Great Nieces, Amber and Darlene. What beautiful and nice young women. We had a chance to get to know them and visit over lunch. Hopefully they will visit us in Sacramento soon.
Next we were on our way to the Sands RV & Golf Resort.
The park is very nice with a beautiful golf course.
When we arrived it was 75 degrees warm! Once the sun sets it gets chilly quickly. Tomorrow Chig will be headed out for a round of golf and I will head out for a round of shopping!

Day 1 ~ January 22, 2011

Well, here we are again. The first day of a 5 week trip. We are traveling with 8 other RV's. We gathered in Elk Grove where we found low level fog. As we traveled South on 99 the fog became very thick. The temperature was in the low 40's until we reached Bakersfield and then the temperature soared to 60! I am confident we will find warmth on this trip! Soon please!

We are spending tonight at Orange Grove RV Park just East of Bakersfield. There are orange trees throughout the park. Management provides long handled orange pickers. We now have a big bag of fresh oranges to enjoy on our trip.