La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 63

Wednesday, January 20, 2016, La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 63, 0 Miles, 4,046.3 Miles for the Trip

After breakfast I did my usual blog & forum reading, then drove to Blythe to refill a bunch of prescriptions. Unfortunately, 2 of them won't be ready until tomorrow, so I'll have to go back. I went to Ace Hardware & picked up a flagpole the I can use for my glowing ball. at $7.00 just a bit less expensive than the $120.00 pole at the big tent. Of course it isn't as adjustable or, for that matter, built as well, but it will work. I also bought a LED tree. I've never seen one before - bare branches with different color LEDs at the end of each branch. I adapted it to run on a USB cord, so I can power it with a 12V adapter.

The Smart & Final grocery store in Blythe had blueberries on sale so I bought enough to make a pie. After getting them back to the campground I discovered they looked a bit long in the tooth, but made a pie anyway. It was a chance to experiment with the Dutch Oven as a baking oven. While it cooked, it is a bit strange looking. It didn't brown any where near as usual; we will find out what it tastes like after dinner.

Speaking of dinner, since I already had the Dutch Oven out & hot, I cooked up a couple of chicken burritos.

Until Tomorrow -

La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 62

A Vixen 21 Motorhome

Tuesday, January 19, 2016, La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 62, 0 Miles, 4,046.3 Miles for the Trip

Another day in the 70's here at Quartzsite, although a bit cooler at 43°F when I went for coffee. I walked through the Big Tent on the way back with my coffee mug in hand & stopped at the LED Lantern booth. As promised, he did have a new batch in at 9:00AM, so I bought 2. They are not as bright as the Luci Original Inflatable Solar Light version that many have, but it does do multiple colors. In any case, at $5.00 it is a bargain.

The rest of the day was spent talking & reading. I did defrost the refrigerator. While it goes longer between needing to be defrosted, even here in the dry desert it eventually ices up to the point where it doesn't cool as well. I also feel it is a bit more humid than usual - I see condensation on my RAV4 & stove in the mornings, and that didn't happen much the last time I was here.

Eventually, I got bored of reading & drove into town to the Quartzsite General Store for a couple of bananas & a chicken leg quarter for dinner. I'll probably cook up a Knoor Rice & Broccoli package to go with the chicken.

Dave left, so our group of small RVs is down to three. There are more fiberglass trailers around the area. Three Bigfoots, a 17', a 19.5', and a 21'. One Scamp, and a couple of Casitas. As to unusual motorhomes, while it is not near our section of the area, I watched an Ultra Van go by. This is a motorhome powered by a Corvair engine. Also saw a couple of other unusual small motorhomes of a type I've never seen before. I walked over to the group and discovered the Vixen 21: "Approximately 587 Vixen 21 motorhomes were produced by the Vixen Motor Company at One Silverdome Industrial Park in Pontiac Michigan between 1986 - 1989 when the company closed. Retail value ranged between $40-$53k. Each model got between 22-30 mpg." There was a bunch of them, that have been coming to Quartzsite for over 5 years as well as a somewhat rare Newmar NewAire and a not so rare Rialta.  More photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Until Tomorrow -

La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 61

Sitting Around the Campground

Monday, January 18, 2016, La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 61, 0 Miles, 4,046.3 Miles for the Trip

I decided to go to the free pancake breakfast this morning. I got there, and the line went all the way around the restaurant, and it was a big room. So, I left & just picked up my usual coffee, went back to the trailer & had Cheerios & an banana.

I did a little reading, then went to the Big Tent to pick up another blow up light for some friends. They didn't have them in yet, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow. I looked at poles for my glowing ball, but they wanted over $100.00 for even the shorter versions, so I'll wait until I get home to make one myself.

Another Toyota RV arrived, and we sat around talking for most of the afternoon. Dinner was a pizza from Silly Al's (thanks, Dave) and then we sat around a campfire.

Until Tomorrow -

La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 60

Sunday, January 17, 2016, La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 60, 0 Miles, 4,046.3 Miles for the Trip

Another beautiful day at Quartzsite with temperatures in the low 70's this afternoon. I made another trip over to the Big Tent to see what I missed yesterday because of the crowds. Far fewer people today so you could stop & look at the stuff in the various booths. Still not much I was interested in, but I did pick up a blow up LED light & a 6" ball that has a solar & battery powered color dissolving LED inside. I was planning to build one from scratch but this one was less expensive than the parts would have been to make my own, and I keep forgetting that I no longer have an electronics shop!

I spent most of the day sitting out enjoying the sun & reading. I did call my brother to wish him a happy birthday - he was hauling in firewood since his house on Nantucket Island was at 62°F and cooling. I didn't rub Quartzsite in too much...

I'm not sure what dinner will be. I had a pretty good tri tip sandwich at the Montana BBQ booth outside the tent. Paid with a credit card & got a "What did you thing of the experience" email via some place called 2016 Square, Inc. 2016 Square must have some kind of deal with Mastercard since I didn't give the Montana BBQ my email address. I get enough junk mail that I don't need more!

Until Tomorrow -

La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 59

Inside the "Big Tent" at Quartzsite

Saturday, January 16, 2016, La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 59, 0 Miles, 4,046.3 Miles for the Trip

It's the day everyone here in Quartzsite has been waiting for - the opening of th "Big Tent". While the campground is crowded, you can't believe how packed the tent is. Three rows with booths on each side of each row. Way less than half have anything to do with RVing; it reminds me of our NY State Fair on steroids.  More photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

I did get a free koozie from Honda, a 2 pack of microwave brown rice from Minute Rice (It will be interesting if it can be cooked in my steamer since I don't have a microwave), a "Alaskan Highway" pin for convincing a couple at the BC Alaska booth that the highway is not still a dirt road, and finally, purchased a new plastic mat for the trailer. My current one is getting a bit worn, and the same company had a 9'X12' red Kokopelli version that matched the one I wore out. The red goes with the stripes on the trailer, and, of course, the RAV4.

Dinner was grilled chicken, snap peas & mashed potatoes.