Friday, December 27, 2013

Quartzsite in our rear view mirror.



December 15, 2013: Quartzsite in our rear view mirror.


The few-day stay we had planned in Quartzsite turned into nearly a month.  Jack’s emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix … subsequent 5-day hospital stay … two week extended stay to accommodate his follow up appointment with his surgeon … followed by another trip to the hospital for another CT scan and blood work (which turned out to be only a minor medical setback) … plus one additional week of recuperation … and finally … yes finally, we are preparing to leave Quartzsite.    

Looking back over the last couple of weeks – La Posa North camping area.

Jack’s on his continued R&R so we stay close to home at La Posa North BLM land.  Nearly every day I head out for a long walk and wander along the different trails and down through the washes, checking out the vegetation and scrounging around looking at rocks. 

Saguaro Cacti People – Use your imagination!

With Jack back at camp and no one to talk to while hiking, I let my imagination run wild.  Huh, some of these cacti look like people.  See what you think.      
"Put your hands in the air!  Right now!"

 Young cacti couple!  The tall one is the young man with his arm around his girlfriend.

Just a bid of a “muffin top”.  Ladies, you know what I’m talking about!

 "Get me out of here!  I’m trapped!"

Signs of the times.

 


I chat with a neighbor who has some interesting signs posted in his “yard” – all “NO” signs. 

He tells me, “I’ve noticed through the last few years how many signs have popped up telling us all the things we can’t do.  No swimming, no snowmobiling, no hunting.  You can’t do anything.” 

He started collecting signs and posts them at his place in Quartzsite. 


Home additions.

Here are a few interesting rigs on the BLM land.  Some with “new home additions” used as OHV garages or enclosed patios.  There are some pretty elaborate set ups out here.  For many, it’s home for several months during the winter. 





It’s been a tough month in Quartzsite.

It has definitely been a very trying month in Quartzsite because our stay revolved around emergency surgery and all the difficulties that go with it.  With that said, we’re happy to see Quartzsite in our rear view mirror and the I-10 to Phoenix stretching out before us.  We’re ready to put this experience behind us.


The unobstructed views of beautiful sunrises and sunsets will be missed.  I doubt we’ll be having a view like this at our new destination.

But, we move onward to a new adventure – our very first stay in an RV resort.  We’re headed for Sunrise RV Resort in Apache Junction to join my sister and her husband for a month.  We’ll be spending Christmas with family in the area so we’re looking forward to catching up and enjoying some good times together.

Until then … be safe. 

Monday, December 9, 2013

A little bit of this and a little bit of that.



December 3-9, 2013: La Posa North BLM Campground, Quartzsite, AZ.



 



Cold enough to freeze your knickers!

It’s been a cold and windy week at Quartzsite.  As a matter of fact, it’s been darn cold and miserable weather about everywhere across the country the last several days.  We count ourselves lucky that we have only seen overnight temperatures down to 32 and no precipitation.  Since we have a goose down comforter to keep us toasty warm at night we don’t turn the propane furnace on until we get up in the morning.  When it’s 32 outside – it’s 37 degrees inside.  That’s enough to freeze your knickers in a flash.  With the furnace blasting away, the temperature shoots up to 60 degrees in no time in our little motor home and a fresh pot of hot coffee warms us from the inside out.  I used to think 60 degrees inside the house was cold – now it feels like a day on a sunny beach.  Well, sort of.

Oh, what is one to do on a windy day?

Many camping neighbors have flags flying overhead and the wind is whipping them about.  There are lots of patriots in Quartzsite with American flags.  Colorful streamers are zipping back and forth, with skull and cross bone flags, California Republic flags, and more personalized flags flapping in the wind.



Go fly a kite!

One neighbor is a kite flyer.  We’ve watched him for the last couple of days flying different kites – he’s really good.  He maneuvers them into upward spikes and then forced dives toward the ground only to skim along a few feet above the earth before soaring again to new heights.





I take a few pictures and then introduce myself.  His name is Dean.  He says he’s been flying kites since he was a kid and could just never get enough of it.  He tells me “back in the day” he was a professional wind surfer for a dozen years or so.  Now he just likes to fly kites and has many stashed here and there throughout his motor home.  “Different wind requires different kites,” he tells me.  He gives me details about kites and wind, and what kite to use when, and what string to use and why, and on and on.  Kites are obviously his passion, but I can’t remember anything he told me.  Oh well, it was a nice conversation with a nice gentleman.  Dean’s here for a few days before heading farther south – hopefully to warmer weather.  He poses for a picture with one of his kites.
   

What’s for sale?  Not a darn thing that we can’t live without.

We hop in the Jeep and take the short drive into Quartzsite to wander around the tented shops.  At least the tents will help stop the wind. 

Here’s a little consignment shop.  Need anything that someone else is trying to get rid of because they don’t want it anymore?

Well, let’s see what the offerings are today.
~~ A custom built banjo.  No, we already sold one of those back in Texas to a young musician from Austin.
~~ A sun oven.  No, I already have an oven that doesn’t work worth a darn.  I don’t need another.

~~ How about someone’s very used RV sewer hose?  Negatory!

~~ Microwaves, refrigerators, or vacuum cleaners?  Nope, nope, and nope. 
~~ An adult potty chair.  Umm, no thank you.

~~ Bicycles, bug lights, satellite dishes.  We can pass on all those things.
~~ Numerous walkers of different colors and designs.  We’re not there yet. 

I asked the proprietor, “Where’d these walkers come from?  Did these people start walking better and don’t need them anymore or are they dead?”
His response, “They’re dead.”
Just as I figured.  I’m not ready to purchase one of these.  Look where you end up.

On to the next shop.

Okay, who’s in the market for a used “retro” avocado green stove for their motor home or trailer?  Or perhaps another satellite dish?


Onward we march seeking any useful items.

Old toasters, blenders, and crock pots.  Hmmm?  We can live without any of these.


Last but not least – “That’s what I’m talking about Jack”.

We wonder into John’s establishment to more “stuff”.  He tells us more “stuff” will be arriving daily.  If we don’t find the “stuff” we’re looking for today, stop back another day and check out the new arrival “stuff”.

I tell John I really like his sweatshirt because my husband’s name is Jack.  He’s ready to take the shirt off his back – literally – when I stop him and say all I really want is a picture of the two of them together.  He happily obliges.

John tells us his best customers are young people.  They’ll buy all this “stuff”.  People like us – older – have gotten rid of all this “stuff” they don’t need anymore.  He never really expected us to actually buy anything – but come back again away.

It is now crystal clear why we found nothing we needed to buy today.  Something about getting older – you don’t need so much “stuff”.  And you certainly don’t need other people’s discarded “stuff”.

There’s a problem in River City.

Saturday arrives and I’m busy cleaning the bathroom.  Hmmm?  Why is there moisture around the toilet?  This cannot be good.  I tell Jack the bad news, and then start figuring out a solution to our problem by collecting a list of local RV plumbers/repairmen.  We whittle it down to Bud.  He can take care of it first thing Monday morning and gives us some tips to get through the weekend without any big mishaps.

Now Bud is an “experienced handyman” – a Jack of all trades, so to speak.  He wears many hats.  Today he shows up wearing his plumber’s hat, or should I say – “plumber’s crack”.  Bud’s a big burly guy and when he bends over the toilet he takes up our entire tiny bathroom.  Having been in construction for many years I’ve seen more than my share of plumber’s cracks.  This one ain’t that bad!  You go, Bud!

The job done, the faulty seal replaced, we thank Bud for his services and pay him $140 – every dime of which he earned doing this ugly job.  He just laughs and says, “It’s the smell of money!”  Whatever !  We’re just happy to have found Bud.  We’re also happy we can flush to our hearts’ content … or until the 50 gallon black water tank is full … whichever comes first.
 
     

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

I’m ready to take on the road … but is it ready for me?



December 2, 2013: I’m ready to take on the road … but is it ready for me?


Okay, I said I would … but I haven’t.  Now, my postponement of driving the Moose has finally caught up with me.  Jack’s surgeon has given strict orders – “No driving for at least two weeks”.  We have to move campsites today as we have reached our 14-Day limit at Plomosa.   The absolute necessity of me driving this big, huge machine has become a reality – today.

The Caboose – the little red Jeep – is hooked up.  The Moose is revved up.  Why am I not?  I’m in the driver’s seat; Jack’s in the passenger seat.  I take a deep breath, release the air brake, put it in drive, and step on the gas.  Hey this isn’t so bad.  I can do this.  My confidence soaring I pick up speed continuing onward.  Now we’re talkin’ – I’m good to go.  Mind you, I’m driving through the desert.  I haven’t reached the road yet, but I’m ready to drive toward the road.

No cars in sight, I inch my way onto Plomosa Road.

The desert floor is pretty easy stuff since I have all the space in the world to maneuver the Moose with no moving vehicles in sight.  As I inch my way onto the two lane road I know I have 1-1/2 miles before I reach Highway 95 where the real traffic begins.  Jack is calm – I’m not.  He instructs me to look in my right rear view mirror to check where I am in relation to the white line, and to do the same for the left mirror for the center yellow line.

I tell Jack, “I can see the center line, but I can’t see the white line on the edge of the road.”
“Why can’t you see the white line?” he responds.
“The mirror must not be adjusted properly,” is my reply.
No problem.  We’re only going about ten miles so Jack watches the white line and lets me know if I get too close.  We’ll figure out the mirror situation later.  My tendency is to keep closer to the right as it feels like my left mirror will hit oncoming traffic.

Hot flash or a fainting spell?

One and a half miles under my belt, having met a couple of petite cars on the road, I am ready for the big time – Highway 95.  I pull up to the stop sign.  The highway stretches straight north and south with flat terrain.  No vehicles in sight as far as the eye can see.  It’s time to take the plunge.  I turn left and head towards Quartzsite.  This is it!  There’s no turning back.

Jack is calm as always.  I’m watching the road, my left and right mirrors, trying to stay “centered” – centered on the road and centered in my mind.  Neither is a piece of cake.  My face is feeling flushed.  Is it a hot flash or a fainting spell?  Then I realize I’m holding my breath.  Breathe for goodness sakes!!! 

As oncoming traffic approaches Jack calmly says, “You’re right on the white line.  There’s a lip here.  You need to move toward the center line.”

I know I don’t want to go off the lip of the road.  It’s a soft shoulder.  That couldn’t be good so I move left.  As we reach the outskirts of Quartzsite the speed limit drops to 45 mph and then 35 mph.  Whew!  I sure do love driving slow.  Over I-10 and down a few more miles to La Posa South to purchase our 14-Day permit and drive to the dump station.    

Stress reliever or joy?

There’s the sign ahead for La Posa South.  I make the left turn off of Highway 95 into the BLM land – the permit station and parking area just ahead.  I pull the Moose and Caboose to a stop, put this monstrous vehicle into neutral, set the air brake, and turn the key to the off position.

Jack’s still calm.  He tells me what a great job I did.  I turn and look at him as tears well up in my eyes and finally … I take a deep breath.  Stress relief?  Joy?  Probably both.  It was stressful as it was my first time behind the wheel of this very large and wide motor home.  Joy because, even though our circumstances forced me to finally drive the darned thing, I faced the challenge I had been dreading – and succeeded.  I didn’t run into the ditch.  I didn’t run into another vehicle.  And I didn’t run down any people.  I guess I could say I met my goal.  It was only 10 miles, but if I can do 10 miles I can do 50 miles.  And if I can do 50 miles … well, you get the picture.  Pretty much anything I put my mind to I know I can accomplish.   By waiting 5 months to actually drive the motorhome, I think I let fear get the better of me.  All things considered, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as some other things I’ve undertaken in life – like starting nursing school at the age of 57.  That was no picnic either – except it lasted for an entire year instead of 20 minutes.  You see, there’s a bright side to everything.   

Oh, the benefits of having a ruptured appendix.

Along with not driving Jack is also not supposed to do anything strenuous for two months.  I know that the dump station task is not really strenuous, but he’s still having trouble bending so I handle this task also.  Jack is supervising while I work away putting on my gloves, pulling out our Rhinoflex hose and hooking it up, etc.  He notices the other men drudgingly completing their dumping tasks.  They’re watching us and scratching their heads.  Probably wondering, “How’d you get your wife to do that job?”  Jack just smiles.

The OTHER mirror, you ditz!

With that behind us we find a good camp spot near a small wash.  Lots of small trees and a fire ring.  Neighbors close, but not too close.  Very nice.  Settled in we relax in our wonderful lounge chairs. 



Jack’s still wondering about the mirror and says, “I can’t understand why you couldn’t see the white line in the convex mirror.”
I respond, “What?”
“You know, the little mirror at the bottom that you were supposed to be looking at to see the line,” he replies.
He looks at the surprise on my face, shakes his head, and we both start laughing.  In all the pressure and stress I put on myself, I couldn’t even recall that there was a convex mirror – on either side!  What can I say?  I’ll be prepared for next time … and there will undoubtedly be a next time, like it or not.       
 

I think I’ll hold that card for another day.

Today had to be the longest 10 miles of my life.  I consider offering to take care of the dump station task forever if I never have to drive the Moose again, but think better of it.  I decide I should hold that card in my back pocket.  You just never know when you might need to play it.  Happy driving.  Be safe.