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!