Day 103, Friday, January 31, 2020 - Dome Rock, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 5

It Is Starting to Fill Up

A little warmer last night at 47°F, but still cool enough that the furnace fired up around 5:00AM. I took the Nikon 800 with me on my morning walk & took a few photos of new arrivals. Most of them don't include people since they were still inside keeping warm. I made another round late enough that my shadow is in some of the images.

It did warm up during the day, hitting 73°F by mid afternoon. I found a Casita in distress - the solar panel wasn't charging the battery. The owner took the portable panel to an RV place & they determined that it was working fine, and it looked like the wiring to the battery was OK, BUT the installer of the trailer side of the wiring wired the connectors for a ZAMP panel, and the owner bought a Renogy portable. It seems that ZAMP insists on not following the standard polarity of an SAE connector, and Renogy does. I switched the connections in the battery box & everything is working.

While not a project, a young lady asked if I could lend a hand opening the valve on her 20 pound propane tank. I couldn't do it by hand, tried pounding on it with my Leatherman, and finally tried a pair of Vice Grips, all to no avail. The end result was the handle turning, but the valve still staying closed. I've never seen one shut off so tight. I suggested she take it to a tank exchange. I'm not sure that is really fair, but then, the exchange people don't fill the tanks with 4.6 gallons of propane, and charge a much over priced fee for the exchange, so they can afford a few duds.

Dinner was the Friday Fish Fry at Sweet Darlene's. They still have not returned to all-you-can-eat, but with 7 pieces of fish I had plenty.

I made another late day round taking photos. I put one of the entire area here, but to see all of them head to the 2020 Quartzsite page.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 102, Thursday, January 30, 2020 - Dome Rock, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 4

A quiet day, although still a bit windy during the afternoon. Lots of sun - I left the inverter on throughout the afternoon to charge the various battery powered devices for which I don't have 12V chargers.

I did walk around the campground, but there were very few new arrivals today, so no photographs.

Last night's dinner was interesting. The first problem is one end of the 5' hose that goes between my 1 gallon tank & the grill failed. As far as I can tell, the washer/bearing that goes inside the coupler on the tank end disappeared. When the coupler was tightened, the connection was so loose that it not only didn't leak, it never made contact with the flare fitting on the tank. I did have a 1 pound disposable tank, so I switched to that & fired up the grill. Put on the chicken, and 2 minutes later the flame blew out. I had to move the table & grill to the back of the trailer to get it out of the 25 MPH wind. Eventually, I managed to cook the chicken.

This morning I went to RV Lifestyles (just down the road) for a new hose. I also ordered one from Amazon so I'd have a spare (RV Lifestyles only had one). Tried to have it shipped to the locker at the Blythe Rite Aid, but the shipping page at Amazon said the locker was full. It is suppose to arrive at Quiet Times tomorrow, but packages are rarely available on time here in the Q.

That was about it for the day. I finished George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo. While I wouldn't want to make the style a steady format, it was an interesting & good book. Started McNally's Chance, by Lawrence Sanders.

Dinner was a grilled (the wind is down to 10 - 15 MPH) Bubba Burger, a salad, and the rest of the applesauce.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 101, Wednesday, January 29, 2020 - Dome Rock, Day 3, Quartzsite, AZ

Walking the Dogs

A pretty sunrise, but a very windy day, and a bit cooler than the last couple of days.

My weather station showed a peak of 30 MPH, and an average of 15 MPH for the wind. Not too many new arrivals today. A large Montana 5th wheel moved in to the area to the east of me. I let them know that around 200 trailers would be arriving over the next week just in case they were looking for quiet, but they had no problems with us & plan to leave in 4 days.

I tried sitting outside, but the wind got too much for me (along with the dust it was blowing around) so I gave up and headed inside. My current book is a novel novel by George Saunders - Lincoln in the Bardo. A strange format, but interesting book told by the ghosts in the graveyard where Lincoln's son Willie was buried. It won the Man Booker prize, and was listed in the 100 Notable books for 2017 by the New York Times. The writing style takes a bit to get used to - short quips by individual ghosts in the graveyard while they are waiting to move on.

Not much else other than sitting in the trailer being rocked by the wind. I did do a walk around the campground around 4:00 and took a few photos. I hope most are new arrivals, but with people moving around even after they get here, who knows?  More photos at either today's LakeshoreImages page or the update to the 2020 Quartzsite Rally.

Dinner was a grilled chicken thigh, roasted potatoes, applesauce & a salad.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 100, Tuesday, January 28, 2020 - Dome Rock, Day 2, Quartzsite, AZ

The Panels Are Tilted

Well, I lied yesterday - there were a bunch of fiberglass trailers hidden at the far end of the Dome Rock area. I took a few photos on my evening walk, and by the time I walked the camping area again at 4:00 today, half were gone & a new bunch arrived.

I tilted my solar panels & put out the ground cloth, set up the table & grill, and pretty much settled in. Another very warm (74°F) day at Dome Rock.

I made a trip back to La Posa West to drop off my trash, and on the way back to Dome Rock decided to stop at the Chinese restaurant to pick up lunch to go. Now that the Big Tent is closed, the prices are back down to $11.00 for a tray full.

Back at the campground I sat around reading - current book is In the Clearing by Robert Dugoni, #3 in a series featuring Tracy Crosswhite. There are 7 of them, all free with my Kindle Prime membership. Not my favorites, but very readable. I already have the first 6 on my Kindle & #7 will be available in February.

I took lots of photos on my second walk around the campground this afternoon, & will start a "Pre Rally" page. Most of the photos will also appear on today's LakeshoreImages page, but if all you want to do is see the trailers, you can check the rally page.  The guy panning for gold isn't part of the rally, but I just had to get a photo of the results.

Since I had a huge Chinese lunch, dinner will just be cheese & crackers.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 99, Monday, January 27, 2020 - Dome Rock, Quartzsite, AZ

My Site at Dome Rock

A very busy day. During my walk for coffee, I met Wayne, back from the Ham Radio gathering. After breakfast I headed to town for propane, a haircut, and a shower to wash away the pieces of hair. Not enough laundry to make a washer load, so it was just the shower. Town is still crowded, although not as bad as during the Big Tent show (it ended Sunday).

Bach at the trailer I finished packing things away, folded down the solar panels, and headed for the dump station. I didn't count the number of RVs waiting, but it was the longest line I've ever been in here at Quartzsite. It took an hour and twenty minutes to get from the end of the line to the dump station. The wait for water was only about 10 minutes. As I drove back to the campground entrance, I counted the RVs waiting to dump - there were 11.

I headed to Dome Rock & set up. The temperature is 75°F, and it is very windy, enough that I'm going to wait until tomorrow to put down my ground cloth & tilt the solar panels. The sun is high enough at the end of January that I probably don't need to tilt them, but I promised a couple of people planning to attend the Quartzsite rally that they could see them tilted, and if we get a string of cloudy days, I might get away without digging out the portable. Since it is in the front of the truck bed, I have to remove the tonneau cover to get it out.

So far, the only fiberglass trailers here at Dome Rock are way up on "Snob Hill" (we have different names for the different areas, in fact, depending on where you like to park, different names for the same area). There are a few stick built trailers & Class A RVs here on the flats, but no other fiberglass trailers.  A couple more photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Since I didn't set out the ground cloth, I didn't set up the table, which means I can't set up the grill, so dinner tonight will be an inside the trailer affair, a turkey sandwich & salad.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 98, Sunday, January 26, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 49

Tomorrow's Location

Ted headed out this morning, along with about half the RVs staying in our area.

A very warm day - it hit 80°F this afternoon, and now at 5:00, is down to 73°F. I even switched to shorts for the first time on the trip.

Around 11:00 I drove to Dome Rock to see if there was going to be a place for me tomorrow. The area we usually set up as headquarters is mostly empty, with two large trailers towards the front. About 1/4 mile to the east there are about 6 - 8 Olivers (a fiberglass trailer) set up. I don't know if they plan to move to the usual area, but that is where I'm headed tomorrow.

I spent the afternoon reading, finishing John Straley's Cold Storage, Alaska. I enjoyed it so Ibought & started the second book in the series, The Big Both Ways (which, for some reason, takes place before the first book).

I took a break from reading, and put 3/4 of the trailer stuff back in the truck. I might be able to get away without dumping or getting more fresh water, but I plan to empty & top off tomorrow anyway. I'll put the solar panels down since I have to drive 3 miles on AZ 95 with a speed limit of 55 MPH. I don't want to drive over 25 - 30 MPH with the panels tilted. Other than folding the panels, putting away the hummingbird feeder & the hummingbird mobile, and taking down the glow ball & weather station, I'm ready to go.

Since I put away the table & grill, dinner will be cooked inside in the oven - a couple of Barber Chicken & Broccoli dinners, and a peach fruit cup.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 97, Saturday, January 25, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 48

 More thinning of the herd - Paul & Linda left this morning, and Ted is planning to leave tomorrow.

Another day in the 70's. I decided to use up some of the bacon & made pancakes for breakfast & a BLT for lunch. Just before lunch I drove to Parker to get water, bread, and a few other essentials. The plan was to also get a haircut, but evidently Parker barbers don't work on Saturdays. One of the shops had a sign that said they would be open until 1:30, but they were closed at 11:00. So, no haircut.

Back at the trailer I finished Brian Freeman's Thief River Falls. I started John Straley's Cold Storage, Alaska.

Dinner was an Eating Well Chicken & Wild Rice Stroganoff.

Until Next Time -

Day 96, Friday, January 24, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 47

A little cloudy this morning, but a warm overnight in the 40's and it cleared up during the day, hitting 72°F during the afternoon.

After the 76 station coffee walk & breakfast, I sat out in the sun until it got too hot, then made a last round of the Big Tent. I didn't see anything I really needed, although I picked up a new oven thermometer. The one I have is difficult to read.

Back at the trailer it was more reading - current book is After The Flood, by Kassandra Montag, a depressing tale of life after all of the world but the mountains is flooded. While I have read a number of books based on this theme, this is one of the better ones.

There are still people moving into the campground. One very large class A decided to set up 10' in front of Ted's front door. Linda & Ted wandered over to suggest that it wasn't a good idea, and he moved. While the place is a bit crowded, there is still enough space that you don't need to encroach on your neighbor.

We sat around talking the rest of the afternoon, and I fired up the grill around 4:30.

Dinner was a Halibut fillet & a couple of spinach cakes.

Until Next Time -

Day 95, Thursday, January 23, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 46

Me at the Campfire

Another nice day. A little cooler overnight at 40°F than last night, but it hit 72°F during the afternoon. I hung around the trailer all day, doing some reading & talking with a diminishing crowd. Mel left yesterday and Joyce left this morning. We are down to 4. We did have a campfire last night & Joyce took a photo of me sitting at the fire.

I decided the best way to move it from my phone (she sent it as a message) was to use Air Drop for the first time. It worked, but it took me forever to find out where it landed on the Mac.

I tried to defrost a Halibut steak for dinner, but it was still frozen at 5:00. Instead, I had the left over pork chop & applesauce.

Until Next Time -

Day 94, Wednesday, January 22, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 45

Vixen 21's

Lots of sun today - the batteries gained 56 amp hours by noon. I did laundry. I was a bit worried that it would be crowded, and while there were more there than usual, I didn't have a problem getting two washers & dryers. The hardest part was getting out of the campground. AZ 95 was backed up for a mile or so, and you had to wait until some kind soul stopped & waved you into line.

A pair of Vixen 21's arrived this morning, and another pair this afternoon. A neat 21' RV that is based on an automobile frame. Lots of variation in the construction & layout, as well as the power train. All are pushers.

On the way back to the campground I stopped at the Coyote Grocery store (also called the Quartzsite General Store) for a couple of pork chops. I grilled them for dinner, along with some mixed vegetables & mashed potatoes. I probably should have only picked up one pork chop - that was all I ate. I'll save the other for lunch tomorrow.

I made a quick trip to the big tent to pick up a light for some friends, and a hat from Progressive. During the afternoon the ultra light made another fly by.

We didn't have a campfire last night - it was pretty cold & windy so everyone headed back to their trailers. Maybe tonight?

Until Next Time -

Day 93, Tuesday, January 21, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 44

A cloudy, dreary day. There was a little light rain around 6:00AM, but the rest of the day (at least until around 4:00) was covered with heavy clouds. There was mixed sun & clouds for the rest of the day. I'm back to around 88% on the batteries, so I didn't run the generator.

I spent the day inside & outside reading - current book is Naked Came The Florida Man by Tim Dorsey. He does a strange (well, maybe not for Florida writers) series about Serge & Coleman, two interesting characters roaming the state. The scary part is most of the really strange things they run into actually happened.

I think we are going to do a campfire after dinner.

Dinner was a couple of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches & chips. I know, pretty plain fare, but I haven had one in ages, and for some reason they sounded good tonight.

Until Next Time -

Day 92, Monday, January 20, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 43

I forgot to mention yesterday my experience with Reserve America & a NY State Park. The theatre department where I used to work holds a reunion for alumni every 5 years. Part of the weekend is a picnic at a local state park. Since I have the trailer, I decided to stay in the park for the weekend. Don Guido is also an alumni, so he & Anne wanted to join me. So, I went on line with Reserve America to make reservations for two sites next to each other. I did Don & Anne's first, using my credit card & their names & trailer description. You cannot reserve two sites at once, so I re logged on & tried to do the site next door for me. When I tried to pay for the site it refused to let me, telling me I can't make two reservations for the same time period. I believe it is a campground related rule, rather than Reserve America since I've often done exactly that in the past. In any case, I had to call Anne & have her make a reservation for me using her credit card.

Back to Quartzsite, although there isn't much to say. I ventured out of the campground to pick up a couple of boxes of firewood. Arizona 95 was very busy, backed up all the way to La Posa South (3 miles) heading north, which, of course, was the direction I wanted to go. Someone finally let me in & I picked up the firewood. I stopped at the Chinese restaurant for a late lunch & headed back to the campground. Arizona 95 going south was no problem.

A very cool & cloudy day. Even though it actually hit 65°F, with the wind and no sun, it felt much cooler. I managed to gain 520 watt hours during the day, not enough to kick the controller into the absorption stage. I hope there is more sun tomorrow, although my generator is due for its monthly exercise.

We sat around talking for a bit, then I went in to snack for dinner & post the page. We will try for a campfire tonight.

Until Next Time -

Day 91, Sunday, January 19, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 42

A short post since I'm heading out to sit around a campfire.

I did make another run through the Big Tent & bought a step cover for $8.00. It might keep some of the dirt & dust down in the trailer. That was about it for the day.

Dinner was a Barber Chicken & Broccoli dinner & a salad, with the second to last piece of blueberry pie for dessert.

Until Next Time -

Day 90, Saturday, January 18, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 41

Most of Us

 A cool night, going down to 34°F. After breakfast I headed over to the Big Tent to see if anything was new for this year. Very little has changed, very crowded as usual on opening morning. Over all, I believe that Quartzsite is more crowded this year than it has been for the show, at least for the last 4 years I've been here.  Crowd photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Dometic had a large booth, and Battleborn (the makers of my lithium batteries) was very busy. Still more non RV related booths than RV, but still interesting to walk through. I definitely got my two miles in without going for a morning walk.

I went back around 3:30 for my traditional Gyro at one of the food booths, I was wearing my Lost Dutchman State Park tee shirt (it had warmed up nicely by then) and the guy making the Gyro was from Apache Junction, the home of the park. We chatted about the area, and he made the most stuffed Gyro I've ever had. That ended up being a late lunch & dinner. Messy, but delicious!

Until Next Time -

Day 89, Friday, January 17, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 40

Around the Campfire

We built a campfire last night & sat around until it got cold enough to head in.

After my walk for coffee I sat outside & did a bit or reading. Enough wind that I eventually moved inside, then decided to head to Parker to do some shopping.
Getting out of Quartzsite was a zoo. I had to wait for two or three traffic light changes to get through at each light, and AZ 95 had heavy traffic most of the way to Parker.

In Parker, a long, slow train was crossing AZ 95, so there was a 15 minute wait to turn the corner. The traffic coming south on AZ 95 was backed up all the way to the Safeway plaza.

I did most of my shopping at Walmart, but they were out of lemons & ice, so I had to also make a stop at Safeway.

I bought the stuff to make a blueberry pie & spent he rest of the afternoon making & baking it. A couple that will be at the fiberglass gathering is already here & stopped by to say hello. I called my brother David to wish him a happy birthday. 23°F on Nantucket Island with snow expected tomorrow. 68°F here in Quartzsite. I love Nantucket in August, but Quartzsite has its appeal in January!

We sat around enjoying the afternoon, then cut up the pie for a early dessert.

Dinner was a Marie Callender's Sesame Chicken Bowl, and a second piece of blueberry pie.

Until Next Time -

Day 88, Thursday, January 16, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 39

Us & The Sunset

High wispy clouds throughout the day, but enough sunlight to put 730 watt hours back in the batteries. Another do nothing day. I sat around reading & talking with the group. I took a short break back at the trailer & met three lovely ladies that read my blog & were stopping through. One mentioned that she loved my dinner descriptions, so there to those that think they are silly!

The campground is filling rapidly. It is reaching the point where they are parking so close to some of the entrances to this area that there is only one left to get out. At least it is the least "lumpy" road. I counted 7 RVs at the entrance station waiting for permits.

I did manage to solve the last puzzle that the kids sent me for Christmas. I even got it back together, unlike the maze one, but I have not been able to take it apart again, so I didn't really solve it. A photo of it in two pieces is at today's LakeshoreImages page.

I'm also including another photo of the "group". Some have moved around a bit & we are still missing a Class B camper, but we have pretty much settled in for the week.

That was about it for the day. Dinner was steamed mixed vegetables & a Beyond Burger. I did cheat & added a piece of cooked bacon to the burger...

Until Next Time -

Day 87, Wednesday, January 15, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 38

Another beautiful day in the 70's with lightly cloudy skies. I went to the Bad Boys Cafe for breakfast. I don't know why I keep going back (other than it is in easy walking distance) since they provide too much food & lousy coffee, but this time I had bacon, eggs & hash browns.

After breakfast we sat outside talking, then I did some forum & journal reading. Back outside to do some reading - current book is Dean Koontz's Dragon Tears.

I had an early dinner or late lunch at Mountain Quail. Wednesdays is their Country Fried Chicken special. The chicken, very nicely cooked carrots & a baked potato with a glass of sweet tea for $10.00.

Until Next Time -

Day 86, Tuesday, January 14, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 37

I had a busy morning - went on line to pay my taxes, and found the Safari browser I use on my Mac does not work with my town's web page. While I like Safari, I've also had problems getting it to work with my on line bill paying system.

I eventually went to Firefox & found what I owed. I also called a couple of my doctors to have them call in a few prescriptions to the Blythe Rite Aid. While it is possible to have them transfered from my home Rite Aid (that, by now is probably a Walgreens) I've found it is more difficult, and takes longer to have a prescription transfered than it does to have a new one called in.

One nurse said that the doctor wouldn't be in until Thursday, so it probably wouldn't be ready until Friday, but I got a text 2 hours later telling me all the prescriptions were ready. So, a quick trip to Blythe. Actually, not so quick - Quartzsite is getting very busy, as was I 10. In any case, all went well & I made it back to the campground by 2:00.

I sat outside reading, then chatting with the group. Two more arrived late in the afternoon. We sat around a campfire until around 6:00 when I got cold enough to call it a night.

Dinner was a Beyond Burger, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables & watermelon for dessert.

Until Next Time -

Day 85, Monday, January 13, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 36

The Group Minus One

A beautiful day at Quartzsite, hitting 75°F by mid afternoon. I walked with Wayne to the 76 station for coffee. He has folded down the solar panels on the Sun Power trailer, and will be heading to the Roadrunner BLM campground for a rally tomorrow. Holly also headed out with her Casita.

With the nice weather I sat outside and read. Current book is The Beginning, by H. Claire Taylor, a satire on the second coming as a woman.

Throughout the afternoon the New Mexico & California contingent arrived. There are now 5 of us in the area, with another travel trailer on the way. You can only see a corner of the Class C from Las Cruces.

We said a bunch of hellos, then headed for dinner.

I microwaved the last of my frozen chili left from a batch I made last summer.

Until Next Time -

Day 84, Sunday, January 12, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 35

An Ultralight

I took a moonrise photo over the campground last night, but there was way too much level differences between the moon & trailers for anything useful. I should have done it a couple of days ago when the moonrise still had some daylight left.

We did have an ultralight do a flyby this afternoon.

I decided since it was Sunday, it was time for a "Big Breakfast", so I cooked up the rest of the bacon, made scrambled eggs with cheese, and sourdough toast. Not too bad, although enough that I didn't need lunch.

Lots of sitting outside reading and relaxing.

For dinner I decided to use the Instant Pot to make rice. I've always had success cooking it on the stove, but there is a rice setting on the Instant Pot so why not? Well, why not is because it doesn't work very well. I usually make a half cup of rice, and following the directions that came with it, equal parts of rice to water. The first interesting thing is the cooking directions show 4 minutes for white rice, while the automatic, non adjustable time on the Instant Pot when you choose rice is 12 minutes. I let it go 10 minutes, then shut it off, let out the steam, and while the rice was cooked, there was about 1/4 of it stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Cleaning glued on rice with a limited water supply isn't much fun. I expect to make a dump & fresh water run next week, so I'm not all that concerned about using water - I still have 1/3 of a tank left, but I do try to use as little water as possible.

So, dinner was Orange Chicken & rice, with a little less rice than expected.

Until Next Time -

Day 83, Saturday, January 11, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 34

I'm glad I don't have a TV. My new neighbor spent over an hour this morning getting his satellite dish aimed. Almost no wind this morning, so I fired up the water heater & did dishes.

I definitely have been shopping too much in California. I'm out of the cheap plastic shopping bags I use as trash bags and have to dig out the box of store bought bags. They don't fit my trash bag holder as well as the standard grocery bags it is designed for. While I use reusable bags at home (and in California when I remember I'm there), when on the road I use the store bags so they can double as trash bags.

The wind picked up during the afternoon, and since it is coming from the south, you can't use the trailer to block it without ending up in the shade, where it is too cool for comfort. I know, too much griping!

After lunch I tried sitting outside again. Currently reading The Heap, by Sean Adams, a novel about a crew digging through the remains of a collapsed 500 story building. A bit of a strange concept, and barely readable, but enough that I'll finish it.

Dinner was a Chicken Pot Pie Hot Pocket, a salad, and Tapioca pudding for dessert.

Until Next Time -

Day 82, Friday, January 10, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 33

Back to the cold nights, 34°F last night. Also a bit cool today with a high of 62°F, and the wind makes it feel colder - an average for the day of 13 MPH with 24 MPH peaks. I walked to the 76 for coffee, made buttermilk waffles for breakfast (well, I really just popped a couple of Eggo's in the toaster since I don't carry a waffle iron), and sat in the trailer reading forums & journals until it hit 55°F outside.

On the way back from dropping the garbage off at the dumpsters, I stopped and talked with Wayne (the guy with the 5K solar trailer). He just bought a small 24' RV with full body slide to replace the 12 year old van he uses for short trips. He discovered that he could avoid quite a bit on local taxes by picking it up in Albuquerque rather than Quartzsite. It is going to be an interesting trip back to South Dakota with two RVs & two additional vehicles. He does have a place here in Arizona that he can leave some of them.

After that it was warm enough to sit outside as long as the trailer blocked the wind & I was in the sun.

Around 3:45 I headed to Sweet Darlene's for the Friday fish fry. It is getting crowded - by 4:00 all the tables were taken & there was a line waiting. The campground is also filling up. Two new RVs moved into our area, and a stream of them have been arriving at the other parts of La Posa West. I suspect the other 3 LTVAs are filling up, as well as the 14 day areas. The Big Tent Show opens a week from tomorrow.

As mentioned, dinner was the Friday fish fry at Sweet Darlene's.

Until Next Time -

Day 81, Thursday, January 9, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 32

Almost Full Moon

Thursday, January 9, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 32 - 0 Miles, 3,894.2 Miles for the Trip

While the sunset was pretty, so have been many. I took a photo just so I'd have something to add to the webpage. Since the moon is almost full, I also included a shot of it.Sunset photo is at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Rather than walk to coffee, I drove since I had an empty propane tank and am not at all interested in carrying a full tank back to the campground by hand. Like most of the past week, a beautiful day at Quartzsite. The high was 68°F. I spent part of the day outside reading, then headed to the laundromat to do a couple of loads of clothes & a shower.

Back at the trailer, it was more reading, enjoying the sun. A couple of RVs made slow loops around the area, but didn't stay. I did shower! Around 3:00 I headed back to Blythe to pick up the bottle of eye drops they shorted me yesterday. I also did a little bit of shopping at Albertson's.

I stopped at the Chinese restaurant on the way back from Blythe for tonight's dinner. The early afternoon is cheaper - I paid $10.00 the other afternoon; it was $13.00 at 5:00 tonight. Back at the campground I discovered a small Class C parked near the entrance to the area I'm in.

Until Next Time -

Day 80, Wednesday, January 8, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 31

I had a nice walk this morning, not to coffee, but a mile down Old Yuma Road. It goes between La Posa West & Tyson Wash sections of the LTVA. After that I did some on line reading, and moved outside in the sun to finish Lee Child's Blue Moon. I started David Baldacci's A Minute To Midnight, his second Atlee Pine novel. Not my favorite series of his books, but I still enjoy the author.

Around 3:00 my prescriptions were ready at the Blythe Rite-Aid, so I headed to California. I stopped at the post office to mail my brother's birthday card, stopped at Rite-Aid to pick up my prescriptions, then hit the Smart & Final market for groceries, something different from my usual stop at Albertson's. They are a bit more expensive, but have better produce. I even remembered my bags so I didn't have to pay for their high quality plastic ones.

Rite-Aid was good & bad. One of my more expensive copays has become generic, going from $50.00 to $10.00. The bad - The non generic drops went from a $50.00 copay to $60.00. Since I didn't get the price schedule mailing from my insurance (it is at home in Oswego) I assume the copay went up. They also shorted me one bottle of the other generic, so I have to drive back to Blythe to pick one up, a 40 mile round trip. As usual, eye drop prescriptions are a mess! I hate to hold up the line going over each prescription to make sure there are the correct number of drops, but if I don't, something usually goes wrong.

On the other hand, Smart & Final had raw Barber Chicken, so I am now set for both the Broccoli & Cheese & Chicken Cordon Bleu selections for the near future. I'll be having the Broccoli & Cheese for dinner tonight.

Until Next Time -

Day 79, Tuesday, January 7, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 30

Hummingbird

A quiet, uninteresting night! It is still getting quite cool overnight, it was down to 34°F last night, but by the time I went to the 76 station for coffee at 9:00 it was 45°F, and by mid afternoon, 69°F. Partly cloudy, but they are thin enough that the batteries were full by noon.

I did quite a bit of reading, both on the computer & my Kindle, where the first of my library books resided - Lee Child's Blue Moon, a Jack Reacher novel. Most series have a relatively short life, but the Reacher series by Child seems to hold up. My all time favorite series is John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series. I read them one by one as they came out, then years later, binged the entire 21 book series. He also wrote some great SiFi, including Ballroom of the Skies & The Girl, the Gold Watch, & Everything. I also enjoyed Condominium.

I spent a couple of minutes testing the new settings on the D850. While they work well for shooting fast moving birds, I have to revert to my usual settings for landscape. You can set up as many as 4 groups of settings so that with a simple push of a button, switch between them. Here are some of today's photos, the rest which are on today's LakeshoreImages page.

After that it was more sitting outside in the sun (well partially in the shade) relaxing.

Dinner was left over stew.

Until Next Time -

Day 78, Monday, January 6, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 29

A Hummingbird

An interesting evening, but not one I'd recommend to anyone. Around 10:00 I started a bit of A-Fib, something I had for a night 4 years ago. While I haven't had it since, it took a trip to the emergency room to get it to stop last time, so after a couple minutes, I decided to drive to Parker. The A-Fib stopped a couple of miles from the hospital, but since I was already most of the way there I stopped in anyway. They monitored me, agreed that it had stopped, and around 1:30AM, sent me home.

I thought I'd sleep in since I was up half the night, but I was wide awake at 7:30. I did skip my morning walk. I did my usual morning reading, then around 11:15 headed to Silly Al's for lunch with a bunch of fiberglass trailer owners.

After lunch I sat outside & read - current book - Out of the Dark by Gregg Hurwitz. I have to read it quickly; two of my library books arrived on the same day on the Kindle.

I dug out the Nikon D850 and experimented with some of the focus settings to see if I could better track hummingbirds. They are awfully small & move quickly. The first image is on the shadow side of the feeder (at today's LakeshoreImages page), while the second was in the setting sun. Neither is all that great, but they are experiments.

Dinner was the left over macaroni & cheese and a turkey Bubba Burger.

Until Next Time -

Day 77, Sunday, January 5, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 28

The Tent is Up

No walk for coffee - I just wandered around the campground. I did notice that they started hauling up the tent, so I took a photo. Went back around 3:30 and took another with it up. They still need to put the sides on, but it looks like there will be a show. The partial photo and a couple of large versions of the panoramas are at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Speaking (well, typing) of shows, I drove over to the Tyson Wells Showplace (a bunch of booths along Kuehn Road on the other side of the tent) to see if there was anything new. Of course there wasn't, but I did get to see booths filled with socks, sheets, tools, very expensive solar panels, and two Trump booths, used hardware & stuff.

Back at the trailer I got out my comfortable chair, and ran out the awning. The chair that has the built in awning is handy, but not as comfortable as the padded one. It doesn't have a sunshade, so I needed the awning. Little or no wind, so it works. I don't like the armless electric awning because it has little support. It retracts if the wind gets too strong, but I'd prefer arms that let you tilt it & use it in the rain & moderate wind.

Since the batteries were filled by noon, and we had plenty of sun, I decided to try the Instant Pot for a longer duration meal. I made a stew, which required browning the meat in the Saute mode, then pressure cooking for 20 minutes. I used a total of 6 amp hours, of which all but a trickle was back in the batteries before the pressure was off the pot. Not too bad a stew, although next time I'll cut the time down a bit - the potatoes were a bit overcooked.

Until Next Time -

Day 76, Saturday, January 4, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 27

I sure love being able to say another great day at Quartzsite. Hope this weather holds for the rest of the winter! 72°F at 2:30.

Wayne & his wife Bobby (the owners of the 5000 watt solar system RV) joined me for the walk to coffee this morning. She was heading for the craft show at QIA (Quartzsite Improvement Association) a block or two from the 76 station, while Wayne & I headed back to the campground.

After breakfast I headed outside to enjoy the sun. I did some reading, both outside & in the trailer - too bright to see the laptop screen outside). That was about all I did for the day.

I decided to cook a Barber Chicken & Broccoli I picked up at Safeway the other day and discovered that I grabbed their "fully cooked" versions. They are terrible. While I like most of the raw chicken versions they make, all of the pre cooked are lousy, oven baked or microwaved. I did make Velveeta macaroni & cheese and Bird's Eye corn & asparagus mixed vegetables to go with it so all was not lost, but I think I'm going to ditch the Barber stuff.

Until Next Time -

Day 75, Friday, January 3, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 26

The Tent Poles Are Up

Great weather again. Still a bit cool at night, but another 70°F day. I spent lots of time outside reading - currently one of the Robert B. Parker's ghost writer (since he died a couple of years ago) still writing Spenser books. Ace Atkins' Angel Eyes. His books are definitely in Parker's style, but are not quite the same. In any case, I still read them.

Not a good day to use internet radio. Both AT&T & Verizon was dropping my connection to KJZZ, a Phoenix NPR station. I hope things improve tonight - I'd like to listen to Echoes on Rochester, NY's WXXI. As usual, at least for this winter, the upload speed is fine. Downloads are the issue.

Horror of horrors - the All-You-Can-Eat Friday fish fry at Sweet Darlene's is now in the January mode - no refills. They still give you enough fish to make it worth it, but if you are really hungry,you are not going to get a second helping.

After dinner I walked over to the RV Show Grounds and found two important updates - the tent poles are up & the Porta potties have arrived.

Until Next Time -

Day 74, Thursday, January 2, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 25

Sunset & Lighted Hummingbird Wind Chime

Another beautiful day at Quartzsite (and Parker as well). We also had a nice sunset last night so I added a photo. I also took one of my glowing hummingbirds & my glow ball. They smoothed out the fake grass for the Big Tent floor, but no tent yet.  Other photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

It was still a bit cool at 9:00 when I went to the 76 station for coffee - around 40°F, but because the sun was cloud free, I ended up with my photo vest unzipped on the walk back.

I made breakfast (bacon & cheese scrambled eggs) on the griddle that was designed for the Coleman Grill/Stove on (or in) the Weber Q1000. It sits too high on the grill, but it eventually gets hot enough to work, particularly if you put the cover down. It fits nicely on the 3 burner stove/oven in the trailer, but is was so nice out that I decided to cook breakfast outside.

After that I headed into the trailer & tried to find out why there was a bunch of unknown money deposited in my checking account. The on line help people eventually traced it to two checks that my son must have deposited. Since he usually deposits them at our credit union, it was unexpected. One check was from Escape Trailer Industries as a reward for showing my trailer to someone who bought one.

I also spent part of the morning arranging my travels from the Townsend Rally in Tennessee during April to visiting with my daughter & family in Takoma Park, MD (A suburb of Washington, DC). I usually stay at Greenbelt Park, a dry campground run by the National Park service, but they are rebuilding much of the park & roads, and will not be open until at least June. They suggested Prince William Forest Park as an alternative. I checked, and I will stay there for a couple of days, but at an hour and 20 minutes from Karin's house, a bit too far for daily visits. In stead, I will spend (and spend is a good description - $82.00 per night) at Cherry Hill Park. I've always wanted an excuse to stay there since it is the most often recommended campground for those visiting Washington, DC, so now I can give it a try. About 15 minutes from Karin's.

After that it was off to Parker. I hit both the Walmart & Safeway as well as a stop at a gas station selling regular for $2.57 a gallon, $.30 cheaper than any here at Quartzsite. For some reason, there was a run on ice at Walmart so they didn't have any, and both stores only had a few gallon jugs of water. Other than that, I found just about everything I was looking for. I did manage to forget paper towels, but I will need to go to Blythe for some prescriptions next week & I have enough to last until then.

Dinner is a frozen chicken thigh & tiny yellow potatoes cooked in my small 3 quart InstantPot. It is rated at 700 watts, but with 10 amps still being cranked out by the solar panels, it only drew 35 amps or so from the batteries. Since the heating element runs intermittently, a 20 minute pressure cooker run only used 3 amp hours.

The tiny potatoes are usually called new potatoes since they are harvested before fully grown, but those in the Syracuse area call them salt potatoes. Salt was mined under the Syracuse area by pumping water into salt deposits and boiling off the water to get salt. During the boiling process, workers often put new potatoes in the vat of boiling salt water. When done, they were covered with melted butter. Not the most heart healthy meal known to man, but boy they are good. I sprinkled salt on the potatoes, covered them with butter and imagined I was back in upstate NY!

Until Next Time -

Day 73, Wednesday, January 1, 2020 - La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 24

Happy New Year to all!

A nice day to start off 2020. While cool during my morning walk at 40°F, it warmed up nicely to a high of 65°F. I spent much of the day sitting outside enjoying the sun. I talked with my brother Dave on Nantucket, Guido & Anne in South Carolina (where, today it is cooler than here in Quartzsite), my son in Oswego, and Dick & Anne on I 70 between Denver & Leadville (where it is snowing). All are doing well.

Clouds have moved in in the late afternoon, but it is still in the 60's. I didn't do much other than sitting around reading - the latest book is Michael Connelly's The Night Fire. Since I'm starting a new year, I checked my "read" database & found I read 225 books last year. Retirement, and not liking to watch TV does provide time to do lots of reading!

I drove to the Quartzsite General Store for a steak for dinner. I was hoping for one of their NY Strip steaks, but they didn't have any. I picked up a St Louis cut steak, something I've never seen before. Big enough that I cut it in half & froze a chunk for some other time. A fairly tender cut of meat.

Dinner was the St Louis Steak, Bush Hickory Smoked Baked Beans, and a salad.

Until Next Time -