Day 208, Thursday, February 28 , 2019 - Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson, AZ, Day 5

Thursday, February 28 , 2019 - Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson, AZ, Day 5 - 0 Miles, 8,523.4 Miles for the Trip

A lazy morning, although I did do my walk around the campground. Another day of mass site changing; many left, but just as many arrived. I'm sure there are times of year that there are empty sites by the end of the day, but it doesn't seem to be happening now.

I did lots of reading, called in my mass prescription renewals, and took a bunch of terrible hummingbird photos. The background to the feeder is a bit too close, and trying to keep the focus on the birds is difficult. I may try moving it tomorrow. By the way, for all those freezing in the east (and, strangely enough, the northwest), it hit 78°F and clear skies here in Tucson.

That was it for the day.

Dinner was a couple of cheese brats & applesauce.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 207, Wednesday, February 27 , 2019 - Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson, AZ, Day 4

"Golden Hour" Lighting Behind My Trailer

Wednesday, February 27 , 2019 - Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson, AZ, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 8,523.4 Miles for the Trip

Today was the day that just about half the campground had as their leaving day (well, I'm exaggerating a bit, but there are an awful lot of sites with 2/27 stickers). In any case, when I walked to the entrance station to trade some books there were at least 6 RVs waiting to get in. As fast as they moved out, new ones moved in. There were so many waiting that they were having them sit around, then calling their names when a site long enough for their RV opened up. I now see why they ask you to stop on the way out & drop off your site tag.

I didn't do much other than go for walks & read during the day. There was some beautiful color around the "Golden Hour" at 6:00, so I took a few photos, then another one around 6:30 of the clouds coloring during sunset. The rests of the photos are at today's LakeshoreImages page.

I filled & set out the hummingbird feeder, and at least two have visited, one within minutes of setting it out. I marvel at how they find the feeder so quickly. They must spend their day cruising! Dinner was spaghetti & meatballs.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 206, Tuesday, February 26 , 2019 - Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson, AZ, Day 3

A Curious RoadRunner

Tuesday, February 26 , 2019 - Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson, AZ, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 8,523.4 Miles for the Trip

During my walk I met a couple parked across from me from the Buffalo area of NY, and a woman walking her dog that reads my blog. After breakfast, I headed to the Desert Museum. The senior ticket price was $21.95, and well worth it. Lots of exhibits, docents at many of the stops explaining & answering questions. While I'm not sure why there is an aquarium with ocean fish, most of the exhibits were about the area. I shot lots of photos, and made a page just for the museum.

After the museum, I drove another mile or so down the road to the Saguaro National Park. Lots of Saguaro cactus in the park, although there are just as many along Gates Pass Road. By the way, while the sign didn't exactly prohibit my trailer from Gates Pass Drive, it did have a photo of a class C RV stating it wasn't welcome, and a limit under 12,000 pounds. I took it on the way into the park with the trailer, and it was no worse than driving into Death Valley from the west. I also took it without the trailer yesterday on the way to the post office, and there was a guy pulling a 30' or so trailer down the steeper part of the drive. He did have very white knuckles! In any case, a very pretty drive that I recommend (without a big trailer).

Dinner was a mushroom & asparagus risotto.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 205, Monday, February 25 , 2019 - Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson, AZ, Day 2

Bad Acting at Old Tucson

Monday, February 25 , 2019 - Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson, AZ, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 8,523.4 Miles for the Trip

Other than a small helicopter that likes to fly directly over my site, the campground is nice & quiet. After a morning walk & breakfast, I headed for the nearest post office to mail a card. About 15 miles, and while in the middle of nowhere, a very long line stretching out the door.

On the way back I decided to check out Old Tucson. Basically, a ghost town (labeled as an old movie studio, similar to the Goldfield Ghost Town in Apache Junction across from the Lost Dutchman State Park, but rather than free, seniors pay $19.04 to get in. OK if you have kids or have never seen one, but I'd pass on it if I knew what was inside. I suspect that if you watch old westerns, some of the buildings might be familiar, but I suspect many are new.

They did have almost continuous shows going on all over the place, although the one I stopped at (and took a photo) had about the worst acting I've ever seen (and I've seen some pretty bad stuff!) All the requisite parts - horse rides, a train ride, shops selling stuff, restaurants, and a church, although it is missing the usual bordello. One unusual part was a merry-go-round. Not sure how that fits the "old west" theme, but it was there. More photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

They must have put in new towers or increased the range of the ones already here, because I'd read reviews that said the cell coverage was terrible, and both Verizon & AT&T have good, fast coverage. AT&T is 19Mbps down & 18.4Mbps up.

After that it was back to the trailer for my afternoon eye drops, then off to the Tucson Apple store for a Thunderbolt 3 to Ethernet adapter.

No problem finding the Apple Store (other than a long drive through Tucson). On the way back I stopped at a Safeway, and an Allstate agent to renew my auto insurance. That was a bit more difficult - the first one was somewhere in a mall, but I never found it. The second one moved, so I had to backtrack a bit to find it. Driving back into the campground I noticed a "Full" sign.

Dinner was baked chicken & deviled egg potato salad from Safeway.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 204, Sunday, February 24 , 2019 - Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson, AZ

Site A 46

Sunday, February 24 , 2019 - Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson, AZ - 46.9 Miles, 8523.4 Miles for the Trip

I guess I didn't need to worry about getting into Gilbert Ray. While there were only 4 sites open when I got here, more opened throughout the day, and this evening there are still a few open. I'm not sure why, but during a walk around the campground loops, I discovered that many are leaving on Wednesday. Unlike December, where the office was closed & you drove around looking for a site, after February 1, they assign sites. I'm in site A 46, an electric only site (as are all the sites except some host sites) for $20.00 per night. Since the weather outlook is good, and I'm in no hurry to get back East, I signed up for the maximum stay - 7 days. There are lots of museums and other things to see, so I don't believe I'll get bored (if I didn't get bored at Quartzsite after 2 months, I doubt it is impossible!) Check today's LakeshoreImages post for the picture out my back window.

After setting up I walked around the campground, met some folks that were at the Dome Rock rally in an Escape 17, and one of the hosts in a 17A (the version of the 17 without a bathroom.)

I made a run to the local Walmart to get a birthday card, and picked up some food as well. The nearest Walmart is about 15 miles from the campground, along with a Food City & other grocery stores, a Lowes, etc. There isn't much in the way of retail near the campground. It is in the Tucson Mountain Park, a large park full of cactus, trails & the Desert Museum.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 203, Saturday, February 23 , 2019 - Picacho Peak State Park, AZ

Site A7

Saturday, February 23 , 2019 - Picacho Peak State Park, AZ - 212.2 Miles, 8476.5 Miles for the Trip

I took the bypass to I8 rather than drive through Phoenix on I10, which was a good idea since the Phoenix NPR station said there was a 2 mile backup on I10 East about the time I'd be going through the city.

I'm in site A7 at Picacho Peak State Park located about 40 miles northwest of Tucson. While not my favorite Arizona state park, it is near the top. My favorite is Lost Dutchman near Apache Junction, but it is full. With the Spring wildflower bloom just starting, most of the reservable state park sites are booked. Site A7 is an electric only site for $30.00 per night plus a $5.00 reservation fee. A pull through a short walk to the bathrooms. I didn't have to unhook, but did need to do some side to side leveling, and the tongue jack is lifting the truck about as much as possible to get things level. They have a dump station & fresh water fill station on the way into the camping loops, so my tanks are empty (and fresh water full).

One of the reasons I like the park is the hike to the top of Picacho Peak, although I'm glad I did it when I was 5 years younger! It is also a pretty park with lots of cactus, birds & wildflowers throughout the campground. Good sized showers, although unheated, and the inevitable high pressure, low volume showerheads that end up spraying cold water with the hot water turned all the way up. Probably OK in the summer, but this time of year when the bathroom temperature is in the low 50's, it makes for short showers.

I walked around taking a few flower photos. Notice the snow on the mountains in the background of the last California poppy photo. None here on the ground, but there was sand on I 8 that might have been from a sanding truck since they did have measurable snow in the area over the last couple of days.  Photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.


Dinner was a Barber Stuffed Chicken Breast (Broccoli & Cheese) with asparagus & mashed potatoes.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 202, Friday, February 22 , 2019 - Blouse Community Park, Blouse, AZ, Day 3

Friday, February 22 , 2019 - Blouse Community Park, Blouse, AZ, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 8,264.3 Miles for the Trip

More rain overnight, in fact, most of the night. At least it isn't snow. Arizona is breaking records all over the state for the most snow in a storm, with many of the higher elevations getting over 3'. It even snowed in Tucson, where I'm heading tomorrow. Hope it all melts by then!

It was cool, going down to 41°F overnight, and never getting above 55°F for the day. I spent most of it in the trailer reading. The rain stopped & the most of the clouds cleared around 11:00AM. Very windy. I don't have the weather stations set up so I don't know how many miles per hour it is, but the trailer is rocking!

I think everyone in the area is sitting in their trailers using their cell data services. Verizon has completely stopped working, and AT&T is so slow I'll be lucky to post this page (although the upload speed seems to be OK, it is download that isn't so hot).

I ate the rest of the pizza from the other day for lunch, so dinner was simple - a grilled cheese & peanut butter sandwich & Bush beans.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 201, Thursday, February 21 , 2019 - Blouse Community Park, Blouse, AZ, Day 2

Thursday, February 21 , 2019 - Blouse Community Park, Blouse, AZ, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 8,264.3 Miles for the Trip

A light rain overnight, although the weather report said Phoenix was going to get close to an inch today. While partly cloudy, only a few drops during the day here in Blouse. By the way, I was wrong that the traffic I heard was on AZ 72 - it is about a mile from the campground. The main road next door is Plomosa Road, a lightly traveled paved road. You can hear the trains as they blow their horns while passing through Blouse (the tracks are next to AZ 72) but not loud enough to bother anyone.

I checked with Google and there was no laundromat in Blouse, so I headed to Parker to do a couple of loads. On the way, I discovered a laundromat sign on the west side of the city, and avoided a 27 mile drive to Parker. Lots of upright washing machines, but only 3 dryers. One was the working half of a large commercial dryer, the other two a smaller stack. There was a waiting line for the dryers, but eventually I got my turn.

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Sesame Chicken meal.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 200, Wednesday, February 20 , 2019 - Blouse Community Park, Blouse, AZ

Site 18

Wednesday, February 20 , 2019 - Blouse Community Park, Blouse, AZ - 56 Miles, 8,264.3 Miles for the Trip

A cool night at 33°F. I took my time leaving since I was only planning to go about 20 miles to the Crossroads BLM campground on the California side of the Colorado River a bit north of Parker. I had no problem getting there, but discovered that most of the sites are reservable, and none were available. I'd been told that it was first come, but that is only true for about 3 sites. So, I headed to Blouse. I've stayed in the La Paz County park on the Colorado in Parker, so I thought I'd try the one in Blouse, AZ. Not as nice as the one on the Colorado (no showers, club house, and only one bathroom) but I'm in a water & electric site. I'm here for 3 nights, then on to Picacho Peak State Park on Saturday. This is the first time I've had hookups since December 7th. Takes a bit of getting used to - I can leave the lights on, and cook dinner in the microwave at full power without worrying whether the solar panels will replace the amp hours used!

I'm in site 18, a pull through with water & electric for $14.00 per night. Minor problem is there is a helicopter pad across AZ 72 pretty close to my site. They did do a ambulance transfer & it was loud. Traffic is pretty light on the road, so it should be better than Quartzsite. Another cool & windy day.

There is both Verizon & AT&T coverage here at the campground, although both are fairly slow. Verizon is weaker at -103dBm, but faster at 4.1Mb down & 3.5Mb up, while AT&T is at -86dBm, but only .3Mb down & .2Mb up.

Dinner was a microwaved Eating Well Chicken & Wild Rice Stroganoff.

Day 199, Tuesday, February 19 , 2019 - Buckskin Mountain State Park, AZ, Day 2

Tuesday, February 19 , 2019 - Buckskin Mountain State Park, AZ, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 8,208.3 Miles for the Trip

Not to bad a night - it was 44°F this morning, but in the high 30's in Phoenix, so I can't complain (although it never warmed up beyond 55°F). I didn't do much today. After lunch I headed to Mike's Barber Shop for my annual Parker hair cut. As usual, a long wait, but I brought my Kindle, and if I wasn't sitting in a chair in the barber shop, I'd be doing the same thing sitting in the trailer (too cold & windy to comfortably sit outside).

On the way home I stopped at Walmart & bought a Digiorno pizza for dinner.

I thought about a shower at the bathroom here in the campground to get rid of the hair left over from the haircut, but the building holds the nighttime cold, and the shower is a high pressure, low volume showerhead that only has lukewarm water. I decided to shower in the trailer.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 198, Monday, February 18 , 2019 - Buckskin Mountain State Park, AZ

An Early Burst From Last Night

Monday, February 18 , 2019 - Buckskin Mountain State Park, AZ - 31.5 Miles, 8,208.3 Miles for the Trip

A short drive today. I first stopped at La Paz County Park, hoping for a water & electric site, but all they had were dry sites. I backtracked a couple of miles to Buckskin Mountain State Park, and again, all that was available for 2 days was dry sites, I'm in site 83, a dry site right on the Colorado River, not too far from the bathrooms. A very tight site, particularly if someone is parked in the trailer only parking in front of the sites. There are larger trailers in the adjacent sites, but they must have had clear spaces next to them to get into the site. I had to level side to side as well as a long dip for the front of the trailer; almost the extent of the tongue jack. At $35.00 per night for a dry site (as much as $43.00 per night for full hookups), it appears that Arizona is trying to compete with California on trying for the highest prices! Still, a pretty site, although instead of listening to loud generators like we did at the rodeo grounds, here it is loud boats flying by on the river. At least I suspect they will quit at dark. At the rodeo grounds there was a guy with a construction generator (say LOUD) that started it at 11:00PM, and ran it for a couple of hours.

After making a temporary set up, somewhat hurried since the guy next to me was leaving & couldn't get out of his site until I dropped my truck, I re hooked the trailer & got it in a good position. A site photo is at today's LakeshoreImages page.

After setting up I headed back to the River Island Market & Gas for propane. While I probably could have made it to Quartzsite where the propane is only $2.30 per gallon, I decided not to take the chance (dry camping requires propane to run the refrigerator as well as the stove & furnace), I paid $2.79 a gallon plus tax for the fill up.

If you use your cell phone for a watch, it gets interesting. The campground seems to be on California time for phones. I do remember a 911 call a few years ago from the park that connected me to a California call center. In any case, I shut off automatic time zones and manually set my phone to Phoenix time so I wouldn't be getting me eye drop alarms an hour late.

Dinner was a turkey Bubba burger & asparagus.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 197, Sunday, February 17 , 2019 -SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Day 7

The SARA Rodeo Grounds

Sunday, February 17 , 2019 -SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Day 7 - 0 Miles, 8,176.8 Miles for the Trip

The photos here are running at least a day behind, because it is too late in the day after the fireworks end for me to put together a page. It goes together the next day.  There are more at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Actually, this entire page is a day late, at least for the post here at Blogger.  Sorry!

A somewhat cool, but sunny morning at 44°F. The furnace ran quite a bit between 2:00AM & 8:00AM. I went to the Sea Scots pancake breakfast. It was good, and included good pancakes, sausage, coffee & juice. Not bad for $5.00!

Most of the fiberglass group left today, although there are still 2 Escape 21's here for tonight's show.

I did register for next year's Western Winter Blast. It looks like it will be the week after the Dome Rock fiberglass rally like it was this year.

Dinner was chicken sandwiches, provided by the rodeo grounds.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 196, Saturday, February 16 , 2019 -SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Day 6

Friday Fireworks

Saturday, February 16 , 2019 -SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Day 6 - 0 Miles, 8,176.8 Miles for the Trip

A quiet, sunny day spent hanging around the trailer. I did my usual walk around the campground, and found that the Airstream crowd lives well. In the middle of their group was an outside bar!

Last night we headed up to the next level, parked ourselves along the front wall in a space that didn't have an RV in it. Not a bad location for the photos. They started well before dark. For what ever reason, a column of salutes started on the right end of the main area, and continued for at least 40 minutes. Pretty impressive for at least the first 15 minutes, then you wonder if it is ever going to stop.

As it got darker, the airbursts started to show. I took a bunch of photos, and started a page just for the event. I'll add to it over the weekend.

Dinner was chicken & tri tip barbecue, provided by the rodeo grounds.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 195, Friday, February 15 , 2019 -SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Day 5

Rainy Fireworks

Friday, February 15 , 2019 -SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Day 5 - 0 Miles, 8,176.8 Miles for the Trip

While there were some fireworks last night (the first of 4 days worth), it was during light rain, so there are not too many photos. Most of them have the "wiggles" since I couldn't put the camera on a tripod, but had to handhold so I could tip the camera lens down to keep the raindrops off of it. It is evident that they don't mind shooting off fireworks in the rain, but watching & photographing them is difficult! Still, I did get a few, which can be seen at today's LakeshoreImages page.

I ended up making a couple of trips to town. The first was to ask for a paper prescription for the new eye drops that the doctor at Barnet Dulaney Perkins Eye Center gave me a sample. I checked with my prescription plan & the drops are a tier 3, which is the most expensive with a copay of $30.00 for a 30 day supply, but that is still much cheaper than the over the counter price at $303.76. I'm sure glad I have a prescription plan - just my eye drops alone would run close to $700.00 per month without it. Anyhow, they were not sure they could get a paper prescription to me before I left Lake Havasu since the doctor was off today (and the weekend). Just as I got back to the rodeo grounds, a voice mail told me the paper prescription was ready, so back to town.

Other than driving around Lake Havasu, the day was spent relaxing & reading. The day was/is partially cloudy, and I started out at -50 amp hours, but by 3:30, the solar panels have got that down to -11 amp hours.

Dinner will be chicken tacos, provided by the rodeo grounds.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 194, Thursday, February 14 , 2019 -SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Day 4

Thursday, February 14 , 2019 -SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 8,176.8 Miles for the Trip

Happy Valentine's Day!

Another quiet, boring day. It rained most of the night, and all day long. Nothing heavy, but my rain gauge shows 1", enough that flash flooding is predicted for the area. No flooding here at the rodeo grounds, although many parts of the roads & walkways are muddy. At 4:00, I'm still down 35 amp hours from full. The heavy clouds only let an amp or two through to the panels. This is one of the few times I wish I had a small generator. I can hear them running all over the grounds. I did see a 900 watt propane (no gas) Ryobe generator that looked interesting - I'll have to think about it...

Dinner will be a chicken pot pie cooked in the oven.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 193, Wednesday, February 13 , 2019 - SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Day 3

The Sea Scouts Selling Ice & Firewood

Wednesday, February 13 , 2019 - SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 8,176.8 Miles for the Trip

Not a lot happening today. The fireworks start tomorrow night, although there are a bunch being fired off as I post this page. It is still light enough that they are hard to see, but maybe they want to fire them off before tomorrow night's predicted rain. We did get a few drops while sitting out at the Boomer's Happy Hour (an Escapee organization that has a large number of RVs here at the rodeo grounds). I took a photo of the Sea Scouts selling ice & firewood.

I did hit the showers around 3:30 this afternoon. Very nice clean individual bathrooms with large showers, but no place to put your stuff. One hook on the door. High pressure/low volume showerheads that are high enough that by the time the water reaches you it is cold, even with the water set as hot as it goes. Combined with the unheated room, it makes for a quick shower!

Dinner was New England Clam Chowder - even though I'm from NY, the idea of putting tomatoes in clam chowder is absurd!

Until Tomorrow -

Day 192, Tuesday, February 12 , 2019 -SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Day 2

Tuesday, February 12 , 2019 -SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 8,176.8 Miles for the Trip

Another cool night, as well as morning. It did warm to the mid 60's by late afternoon. I found a credit card during my morning walk. Turned it in at the entrance station - hope it got back to the owner (No, I didn't use it to buy a Entegra!)

The Southwestern Eye Center asked to move my eye appointment from 3:00 to 2:00, so I headed out a bit earlier than planned. As usual, my right eye passed the field test with flying colors; and, as usual, the left was terrible. They suggested some new drops, so for the near future, I'll be scheduling 4 different drops, one of which is done twice a day & one that is 3 times a day. My life is now rotating around eye drops! Still better than completely losing vision in the left eye...

The drive back was interesting - the doctor requested that I have my eyes dilated (not necessary for the field test, but dilation allows a better exam). In the cloudy northeast, driving home isn't too bad, but in the bright southwest it is very bright!

That was about it for the day. Dinner was a NY strip steak, corn on the cob & mashed potatoes.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 191, Monday, February 11 , 2019 -SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ

Site G2, SARA Rodeo Grounds

Monday, February 11 , 2019 -SARA Rodeo Grounds, Lake Havasu City, AZ - 82.1 Miles, 8,176.8 Miles for the Trip

Moving day! I was no rush to pack up & hit the road since last year I arrived a half hour before the gate at the rodeo ground opened, and waited 44 minutes in line. I packed up the rest of the trailer & headed to the dump station. 2 ahead of me; a short wait. No one ahead of me for water.

By the way, I received email pointing out that the jet that has moved across I10 is not a Lear Jet, but a prototype of a Tony Fox designed Foxjet ST600. An interesting article at Wikipedia describing the project. Funny how it ended up at Quartzsite!

Tanks emptied & filled, I headed to Lake Havasu City & the SARA Rodeo Grounds. This time there was only one vehicle in front of me, and it was the Bonair Oxygen from the Quartzsite Fiberglass Rally.

There are 5 of us that registered as a group in G1 - G5, and a few rows east, a larger group from Death Valley that includes many fiberglass trailers. There are also a few more scattered throughout the rodeo grounds.

For those interested, there is both AT&T & Verizon coverage, as well as rodeo grounds WiFi that is only available at the bathrooms and Barbecue area. I could dig out my NanoStation & connect to the rodeo grounds WiFi, but it is easier to stick with my cell modems. I didn't see much difference between Verizon & AT&T for signal strength or speed, although that might change as the grounds fill.

I'm in site G2, a 40' X 20' section of a parking lot, the same site as last year. After setting up I took a walk around the grounds. Again, for those interested, there are a few water fill stations, although the nearest one to my site is on a steep hill and would require a fairly long hose. A large bathroom building next door to a shower building (unheated, but 4 full bathrooms).

Since the batteries were almost full when I arrived, I fired up the inverter & recharged my Waterpik & camera batteries. I also microwaved an early dinner around 4:00 so there would still be some sun to help recover. As the sun fades in the west, I'm down around 10 amp hours. I don't plan on digging out the portable panel, or tilting the rooftop panels unless we have a string of cloudy days.

Dinner was a Eating Well Chicken & Wild Rice Stroganoff & the rest of some very good asparagus. The Eating Well meal was excellent - so far I have really liked all of their microwaved meals. Unfortunately, they are only microwavable, so I need well charged batteries or hookups to cook them.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 190, Sunday, February 10 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 15

Some of Us Are Still Here

Sunday, February 10 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 15 - 0 Miles, 8,094.7 Miles for the Trip

While the rally ended last night, many are staying for up to a week here at Dome Rock. I packed up much of the trailer & will head to Lake Havasu City tomorrow. While on line with my bank I discovered I have already received my income tax refund check.

I did a load of laundry paid $40.00 for two weeks at the LTVA (I'll probably dump twice - it would still be cheaper to go to the Pit Stop in town, but buying a 2 week ticket will remove some of my guilt for the not paying for the 4 weeks of the government shutdown), and changed the sheets on the bed. Other than that, not much accomplished for the day. I did take a few photos of the departing trailers, a few can be seen at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Dinner was fried chicken & potato salad from the General Store. The chicken was OK (Better than Churches) but the potato salad needed work.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 189, Saturday, February 9 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 14

The Dessert Pot Luck

Saturday, February 9 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 14 - 0 Miles, 8,094.7 Miles for the Trip

While it started out cloudy (I was wondering if I'd ever make back the 43.5 amp hours I was down by the end of breakfast), the day eventually cleared, warmed up into the 60's, and by 4:00 the batteries were full.

It was still quite cool for the swap meet between 8:00 & 10:00AM. I got rid of some stuff, and was good - I didn't buy anything, although I did pick up a 3" sewer elbow from the free pile.

While a few headed home early due to the cold & dreary weather, those that stayed had a great dessert pot luck. While my blueberry pies didn't make it in the top 2 favorites by the judges, I did manage to serve up three of them.

Dinner was the desserts; yes, there were that many and all delicious!

Many more photos at today's LakeshoreImages page or the 2019 Quartzsite Fiberglass Gathering page.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 188, Friday, February 8 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 13

The Winning Wiener Roaster

Friday, February 8 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 13 - 0 Miles, 8,094.7 Miles for the Trip

A beautiful day at Quartzsite. Started a bit cool at 33°F, but warmed up quickly. I spent the morning baking e blueberry pies. Since we have always run out of pie before the end of the dessert line, I made an extra that I'll get out after the first two are gone.

This evening we did the replacement for the soup gathering; the first annual wiener roast. There were prizes for the most unusual wiener roaster, and there was quite a bit of competition.  Many more photos at today's LakeshoreImages page or the 2019 Quartzsite Fiberglass Trailer Gathering page.

Dinner was a couple of cheese brats, cooked with a traditional & boring hot dog fork.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 187, Thursday, February 7 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 12

Sunset & the Moon

Thursday, February 7 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 12 - 0 Miles, 8,094.7 Miles for the Trip

It hit the predicted 33°F last night, but again, the cloudless morning quickly warmed up. While the high for the day was only 60°F, with the light wind, it was comfortable (although the morning walk wasn't!)

As usual for the rally, I wandered around taking a bunch of photos that are posted on the rally page (2019 Dome Rock Fiberglass Rally.)

After 3:00, I headed to Parker to get blueberries for making my pies for the dessert pot luck. They had Wyman's Wild Blueberries, my favorite (other than those growing in my garden, which are covered with a couple of feet of snow right now).

Dinner was a turkey Bubba Burger & asparagus, which I cooked using a LED headlamp (well, I actually used the Coleman stove to do the cooking, & the headlamp to see what I was doing) since by the time I got back from Parker it was dark. At least I got an interesting photo of the moon & the sky after sunset.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 186, Wednesday, February 6 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 11

Wednesday, February 6 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 11 - 0 Miles, 8,094.7 Miles for the Trip

A cool night, with the furnace coming on around 11:00, and cycling off & on all night (with the thermostat set at 59°F). I did a short walk before breakfast, but it was 44°F, and windy, so I quit early.

A bit later I did a round for photos, and talked with a number of folks. I've got a take or trade book table, but so far none of the trades are books I want to read (or are ones I've already read). The new photos are on the page I started for the rally.

Around 3:45 a group of us headed for Mountain Quail for their Wednesday night special, Chicken Fried Chicken. It was excellent, as usual, although the lemon meringue pie I had for dessert was only OK.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 185, Tuesday, February 5 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 10

Around Dome Rock

Tuesday, February 5 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 10 - 0 Miles, 8,094.7 Miles for the Trip

Not as cold as last night, but it didn't warm up all that much today. As long as the sun was out, the 55°F this morning felt fine, but when the sun ducked behind the clouds, it felt cold. Still windy - last night the wind hit 25 MPH, enough to fold down the legs on my portable solar panel. This morning it was aimed straight up.

I took a bunch of photos during my morning walk & throughout the day. I'll put a few on today's LakeshoreImages page, but for most of them you will need to go to the page I started for the rally.

I made a run into town for a couple of boxes of firewood just in case there were enough interested in a fire tonight.

Now I'm sitting in the trailer, ducking the wind & heating up the oven to cook a Boston Market Chicken Parmesan dinner.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 184, Monday, February 4 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 9

A Rare Bonair Oxygen

Monday, February 4 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 9 - 0 Miles, 8,094.7 Miles for the Trip

A cool night, at least compared to last week - down to 44°F overnight. It only got into the 60's during the day with a high of 68°F. It felt cooler because of a steady wind.

Today was the first "official" early start of the rally, and there are already over 100 trailers here at Dome Rock. I took a few more photos of the trailers & people, including a "first time at Quartzsite" rare Bonair Oxygen trailer. More photos from today at today's LakeshoreImages page.

While the music group stayed out & played, once the sun went behind the mountains I headed into the trailer - too cold for me, and no one started a campfire!

Dinner was the last of the grilled chicken breast & peaches.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 183, Sunday, February 3 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 8

The View From Dome Rock

Sunday, February 3 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 8 - 0 Miles, 8,094.7 Miles for the Trip

Last night's rain didn't last too long, and we only had a total of .006" according to my rain gauge, with the wind peaking at 23 MPH. By morning the sky was clear & 50°F. A little cooler & windier than during the middle of the week, but not a bad day.

I extended my morning walk to climb to the mine tailings about 2/3s the way up Dome Rock. I try to do the hike each time I'm here, and for some reason, it gets more difficult each year!

After a late breakfast (it was 10:30 by the time I got back) I sat outside & did some reading, watched the hummingbirds, and chatted with neighbors, more of whom are appearing every minute.

I made a couple of rounds taking photos.  Those & more from the climb to Dome Rock are at today's LakeshoreImages page.

After that it was back to the trailer & dinner, which was left over chicken in a wrap & left over rice.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 182, Saturday, February 2 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 7

Relaxing at Dome Rock

Saturday, February 2 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 7 - 0 Miles, 8,094.7 Miles for the Trip

It started as a cloudy day with some mixed sunshine, enough to put 24 amp hours back in the batteries. I did my usual walk before breakfast, then did some reading of web pages, forums, and my current book - Stephen Baxter's Timelike Infinity, his second novel.

I replaced the sleeves in the Lagun Table Mount. They have worn to the point where the table is no longer level. It was my fault - I'm in the habit of not bothering to loosen the clamps before I swivel the table out of the way, something I do many times a day. Only $15.00 for replacement sleeves, a simple, but somewhat difficult job to replace, but I hope to actually use the clamps correctly from now on!

A couple more photos from last night & this morning are on today's LakeshoreImages page.

After lunch, I decided that I was not interested in making chewy coffee (drip coffee without a filter) so I headed to Blythe's Albertson's for some 5 cup coffee filters. Of course I bought more than that & the freezer is now completely full again, but I also have some fresh fruits & vegetables, including some nice looking asparagus. While I was gone another 10 or so trailers moved into the area. The sun blockers are still in the prime area; maybe they will move tomorrow or Monday after the SuperBowl.

The wind has picked up, and I probably should have cooked inside, but I had already defrosted a chicken breast that I planned to grill, so outside it was. I made a batch of Spanish rice & the chicken breast. Watched my weather app & when I had 35 minutes or so left on the rice & chicken, the app told me it would be raining in 30 minutes. While there were a few scattered fat raindrops, the bulk held off until just after I finished cooking. I'm now sitting inside looking at rain running down the windows, listening to the steady patter on the roof, and wind gusts of 22 MPH.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 181, Friday, February 1 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 6

Good Morning!

Friday, February 1 , 2019 - Dome Rock BLM, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 6 - 0 Miles, 8,094.7 Miles for the Trip

I discovered one of my least favorite dogs is back - a Doberman named Reacher. Two years back he charged me from a couple 100' away with the owner's wife screaming for him to stop & come back. For what ever reason, his owner (the husband) seems to think he is harmless, and won't keep him on a leash (even though BLM rules require leashes). I guess it takes all kinds. I took a few photos on the walk. We are getting quite a collection of trailers.  More photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Anyhow, a nice day at Dome Rock. After my walk & breakfast, I got on line with the Social Security office & downloaded a PDF of my 1099SS. In past years, I had to drive to Blythe, wait for 3 hours at the SS office for my turn, then spend 30 seconds with the clerk while she printed out a copy. They finally put them on line.

That was the last of the paperwork I needed to file my taxes, so they are done. A pleasant surprise - I'm actually getting some money back. The new standard deduction this year seems to work in my favor!

I packed up the dirty clothes & changed the sheets on the bed. Sat around reading, wandered around chatting, then after lunch, headed to the laundromat. Not at all crowded, with no lines for washers or dryers. By the time I finished, it was 4:00, time for Sweet Darlene's Friday Fish Fry.

Until Tomorrow -